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Happy miku day! ^w^
#I’m surprised I got this finished in time!#this was not queued like most of my celebration art…I did this all today…hoo…#I’ve been busy so I haven’t had time to work on anything for 39#hatsune miku#vocaloid#miku day#miku hatsune
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The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh (1977) Sentence Meme
Under the cut you will find 150+ sentences from the 1977 version of The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh to use for your enjoyment!
1. “This could be the room of any young boy.”
2. “His best friend is a bear.”
3. “He was a bear of very little brain.”
4. “When he thought he thought in the most thoughtful way he could think.”
5. “Haven’t thought of anything? Have you?”
6. “Think, think, think.”
7. “Time for my stoutness exercise.”
8. “Oh, bother!”
9. “That buzzing noise means something.”
10. “The only reason for being a bee is to make honey.”
11. “The only reason for making honey is so I can eat it.”
12. “I call it my rumbly in my tumbly song.”
13. “It all comes from liking honey so much.”
14. “No matter. Most likely lose it again anyway.”
15. “Cheer up! Don’t be so gloomy!”
16. “It’s not much of a tail, but I’m sort of attached to it.”
17. “If it is a good morning. Which I doubt.”
18. “I just said to myself coming along, thinking and wondering, if you had such a thing as a balloon about you?”
19. “What do you want a balloon for?”
20. “You can’t fool the bees that way!”
21. “Would you be so kind as to pull me to a muddy place of which I know of?”
22. “There now. Isn’t this a clever disguise?”
23. “What are you supposed to be?”
24. “Silly old bear.”
25. “I think the bees S-U-S-P-E-C-T something.”
26. “Perhaps they think you’re after their honey?”
27. “You never can tell with bees.”
28. “Tut-tut. It looks like rain.”
29. “I have come to a very important decision.”
30. “These are the wrong sorts of bees.”
31. “I think I shall come down now.”
32. “When he put his mind to honey, he stuck to it.”
33. “Honey rhymes with bunny.”
34. “He uses short words like ‘how about lunch’ and ‘help yourself’.”
35. “Lunch? Oh no. Not again.”
36. “Is anybody at home?”
37. “Both! Isn’t anyone here at all?”
38. “Somebody’s there because somebody must have said nobody.”
39. “I don’t think so. It isn’t meant to be.”
40. “What a pleasant surprise! How about lunch?”
41. “Would you like condensed milk or honey on your bread?”
42. “Perhaps you’d save time if you took the whole jar.”
43. “I must be going now. It’s almost time for supper.”
44. “Help and bother! I’m stuck!”
45. “It all comes from eating too much.”
46. “It all comes of not having front doors big enough.”
47. “Splendid day to be up and about one’s business.”
48. “I say, are you stuck?”
49. “You, sir, are stuck. A wedged bear in a great tightness. In a word, irremovable.”
50. “Now, obviously this situation calls for an expert.”
51. “I’m not in the book, but I’m at your service.”
52. “Dash it all, he is the project.”
53. “Big job. It’ll take two or three days.”
54. “I always go home for lunch.”
55. “Can’t give you an estimate. Too risky.”
56. “Blast it all!”
57. “I can’t stand around lollygagging all day. I’ve got a tight schedule.”
58. “You’ve got my card. I’m not in the book, you know.”
59. “Oh, dash it all! He’s gone!”
60. “Here. Give me your paw.”
61. “If we can’t pull you out, perhaps we can push you back.”
62. “Oh dear. Having got this far, it seems a pity to waste it.”
63. “There’s only one thing we can do. Wait for you to get thin again.”
64. “If I have to face that…that thing…for months, I must make the best of it.”
65. “You don’t eat them. You smell them.”
66. “I’m working a swing-shift, you know.”
67. “Time for my midnight snack.”
68. “Could you spare a small smackerel?”
69. “You have to do something about that speech impediment?”
70. “I wasn’t going to eat it. I was just going to taste it.”
71. “And so we come to the next chapter.”
72. “One fine day the east wind traded places with the west wind and that turned things up a bit.”
73. “One the way I made up a little hum.”
74. “What’s wrong, sonny? Got yourself a headache?”
75. “If I was you, I’d think about skedaddling out of here.”
76. “I think I shall wish everyone a happy Windsday.”
77. “It’s been in the family a long time. It belonged to my grandfather.”
78. “I don’t mind the leaves that are leaving. It’s the leaves that are coming.”
79. “Do you think you will answer yourself?”
80. “There! That should stand against anything.”
81. “What a refreshing day for harvesting.”
82. “This is a surprise! Do come in and make yourselves comfortable.”
83. “Am I correct in assuming it is a rather blustery day outside?”
84. “I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a Windsday. Just a gentle spring zephyr.”
85. “If you ask me, and nobody has, I say when a house looks like that it’s time to find another one.”
86. “A thankless job. It might take a day or two, but I’ll find a new one for him.”
87. “It was a very anxious sort of night, filled with anxious sorts of noises.”
88. “Being a bear of very little brain, he did a very brave thing. He decided to invite the new sound in.”
89. “Hello out there. Oh, I hope nobody answers.”
90. “Glad to meet you! I’m new around here.”
91. “If you’re here, well, then what’s that over there?”
92. “What a strange looking creature! Look at those beady little eyes!”
93. “Watch me scare the stripes off that imposter.”
94. “He’s gone. You can come out now.”
95. “That sticky stuff is only fit for heffalumps and woozles.”
96. “I’d better bounce along now, chum. Cheerio!”
97. “There was only one thing to do. Take drastic precautions.”
98. “Am I glad to see you! It’s more friendly with two.”
99. “Is it raining in there? It’s raining out here, too.”
100. “It was a time of great excitement.”
101. “Look, I’ve rescued a bottle! And it’s got something in it, too!”
102. “Chin up and all that sort of thing.”
103. “A rescue is being thought of. Be brave!”
104. “It’s awfully hard to be brave when you’re such a small animal.”
105. “To divert your small mind from your unfortunate predicament I shall tell you an amusing anecdote.”
106. “I beg your pardon but I t-think we’re coming to a very big waterfall.”
107. “Please, no interruptions if you don’t mind.”
108. “Excuse me, I’m here. What I mean is, here I am.”
109. “It was a very brave thing to do.”
110. “You’re our hero!”
111. “As soon as the flood is over I shall give you a two party.”
112. “This party is a hero party, because of what someone did.”
113. “If you want to follow me, then I’ll show it to you.”
114. “Oh dear. Mercy me.”
115. “It’s the best house in the whole world.”
116. “With me. You shall live with me.”
117. “That was a very grand thing to do. A heroic thing to do.”
118. “Can you make a one hero party into a two hero party?”
119. “What’s all that stomping and singing and silly shenanigans?”
120. “I sure like bouncing! Wasn’t that fun?”
121. “The best part is when it stops.”
122. “I think I just remembered something that I forgot to do yesterday and shan’t be able to do tomorrow, so I suppose I better go back and do it now.”
123. “Oh yeah! I re-cog-go-nize you!”
124. “TTFN! Ta-ta for now!”
125. “That was just one of my little bounces!”
126. “Messy?! Messy!? It’s ruined!”
127. “I listened, but then I had a small piece of fluff in my ear. Could you say it again?”
128. “It’ll take the bounce out of him.”
129. “Now’s our chance! Quick, in here! Hide!”
130. “He’s lost all right.”
131. “Oh goody! This is a lot of fun!”
132. “That’s funny. They must be lost.”
133. “It’s a very funny thing how everything looks the same in the mist.”
134. “It’s lucky I know the forest so well or we might get lost.”
135. “We’ve been trying to find our way back home.”
136. “Is your sweater warm enough?”
137. “Why does it always have to be me? Why, oh why, oh why!”
138. “Stop that, kid! Please! S-T-O-P.”
139. “I was just getting see sick from seeing too much.”
140. “What do you think you’ll answer yourself?”
141. “For a bear of very little brains, you sure are a smart one.”
142. “Whatever it was that made these tracks has not been joined by a whatever-it-is.”
143. “I wasn’t exactly expecting company.”
144. “Look! There’s something in that tree over there.”
145. “Is it one of the fiercer animals?”
146. “He promised! Did you hear him promise!?”
147. “Oh, the poor dear. That’s too bad.”
148. “Goodbye? Oh no, please. Can’t we go back to page one and do it all over again?”
149. “All stories have an ending, you know.”
150. “What do you like doing best in the world?”
151. “What I like best is just doing nothing.”
152. “How do you do just nothing?”
153. “You know something? I am not going to do just nothing anymore.”
154. “When I’m away just doing nothing will you come up here sometimes?”
155. “Promise you won’t forget me, ever?”
156. “Wherever they go and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the forest a little bear will always be waiting.”
#ask meme#askbox meme#rp meme#roleplaying meme#sentence meme#lyric meme#disney meme#the many adventures of winnie the pooh#winnie the pooh
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Camp Willowdale / JJ Maybank AU / PART 8
Synopsis: Camp Willowdale is buzzing with new campers. It’s Caroline Windsor’s first year as a camp counsellor after attending the camp as a camper for ten years. Little does she know that this year Willowdale Lake is going to be a little different from what she is used to it being…
Warnings: future chapters may include curse words, mentions of drugs, mentions of alcohol, mentions of sexual activities, mentions of death.
Pairings: JJ Maybank x fem OC Part 1 ; Part 2 ; Part 3 ; Part 4; Part 5 ; Part 6 ; Part 7
Masterlist
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part 8 –
49 days of summer camp left
Caroline sat in her bed, hugging her knees against her chest. Her and JJ had the afternoon off and despite his attempts to lure her into hanging out, and her infatuation with the boy, she’d turned him down, wanting to spend a few hours alone with herself to compose her thoughts. It had been exactly two weeks since the night Madison disappeared. No one had bothered to mess with the campers since then, the bonfire area hadn’t been touched and no dead animals were found in anyone’s suitcase. To the rest of the camp, this seemed like victory; to Caroline – it seemed like the calm before the storm.
During their first day at Camp Willowdale, all of the counselors had been given a Willowdale-branded set of items they’d have to use during their stay. It came with the obvious STAFF t-shirts, sweaters and hats, but it also consisted of other things – such as the thermoses Caroline and JJ were still using to sneak whiskey into their daily routines, and notebooks in which they were advised to plan out their group’s daily schedules. Caroline however had been using her notebook for other purposes. She’d become so obsessed with Madison’s case, that every little thing that happened on camp grounds and seemed even a little out of the ordinary, immediately became a clue to her, which she’d hastily scribble down in her notebook. It had only been two weeks since the disappearance of Madison Hague and Caroline had already filled about a quarter of the pages of her hefty notebook with potential clues and leads. She kept rereading her notes, trying to think of something – anything – that they could do to help them solve the mystery, however nothing was coming to her. Ever since the dress incident, Caroline and her friends hadn’t found anything else that could relate to Madison, though Caroline was glad that none of them had given up on their mission.
Caroline was so deep in her own thoughts, she nearly jumped at the sound of a sudden knock on the door. She quickly closed her notebook and tucked it under her mattress and went to open the door, revealing a panting JJ leaning on the doorframe.
“Hey, C,” he breathed.
“JJ, what’re you doing here? I told you I -”
JJ cut her off by pushing past her and walking into her cabin, “Yeah, yeah, you wanna be alone, I know,” he sat on her bed, taking his snapback off, “but I was thinking… you’ve been so busy with the kids and with the whole Madison thing, and believe me – I really appreciate you for being like that, but -”
Caroline crossed her arms, “Where are you going with this?”
JJ sighed, “You’ve just totally forgotten how to have fun, C,” he said, “The primary reason that we all came here was to have fun and look at you – you barely eat, or sleep, or do anything other than your counselor duties and this whole Madison investigation thing…” JJ sighed again, looking at the hat in his lap and playing with its adjustable strap, “All I’m saying, C, is what if Madison really did go home and you’ve just wasted all this energy on nothing…Thing is,” JJ looked up into her eyes, “I miss you, the old you, and I know that that you’s still somewhere in there, it’s just this whole Madison thing blocking it.” he placed the hat back on his head and stood up, walking towards Caroline, “Hang out with me now,” he said, stopping directly in front of her and lifting her chin up so that she was facing him, “And I promise we’ll think about Madison later,”
Caroline couldn’t really process what was going on. JJ was touching her and standing in such an intimate distance from her, that she could basically feel his breath on her face. For a second she forgot all about Madison, and the dead owl, and the bonfire area. All she could think about was JJ Maybank, who had just told her that he misses her and wants to “hang out with her”. Caroline stood there, lost in thought. What if he was right? What if Madison really did go home and that dress never even belonged to her? What if it was Jenna Kinley’s all along and Sarah had just gotten the perfume wrong? What if JJ really did miss her because he liked her as more than a friend? No, no, that couldn’t be it. But what if –
“Um, Carrie?” JJ’s voice suddenly broke her out of her trans, “So d’you wanna do something together or -”
“Yes!” she said, a little too excitedly for her own taste, of course I’d like to hang out with you, JJ, she thought, “What do you want to do?”
JJ’s face immediately lit up at her words, “Well I was thinking perhaps a picnic?”
Caroline raised an eyebrow, “Don’t picnics require food? We don’t have access to anything unless it’s mealtime,”
“Yeah, but we do have whiskey,” JJ winked with a mischievous look on his face, walking towards the storage room of the girls’ cabin where they still had a few bottles of alcohol left.
Caroline rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless – this was going to finally be her first date with JJ Maybank. Well, sort of.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The afternoon sun was low in the sky, casting a beautiful orange reflection onto the peaceful water of lake Willowdale. Caroline and JJ had taken a seat on the lakefront, drinking their whiskeys and admiring the sunset, reminiscing the days when they were kids again.
“D’you remember that one summer when Rafe Cameron got food poisoning and ended up barfing on stage at the Will-all-hail banquet?” JJ laughed at the memory.
Caroline frowned, thinking about it, “Beats having Rafe Cameron as your counselor by a mile,”
JJ turned to look at her, eyebrows raised, “Rafe was a counselor here?” his tone almost sounding amused.
Caroline nodded, “Oh yeah,” she smirked, “For the same reason as Sarah – too stuck up for his own good so their dad shipped him over here as a punishment,”
JJ snorted, “I mean that family is pretty far up their own ass,”
“They have a sister too,” said Caroline, “I haven’t seen her around here though, so we at least know that one of them must be doing something right,”
The pair laughed at the thought of their spoiled friend and her older brother.
“Man, I missed this place,” said JJ suddenly, leaning back on his elbows.
His tone sounded different as he looked at the horizon and Caroline could sense that something wasn’t right, “Yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask -”
“Parents got divorced,” JJ quickly explained, “And unfortunately for me, my dad got custody,” he sighed, “Somehow my mom was deemed ‘incapable’ of taking care of me because she couldn’t financially afford to. Load of bullshit, if you ask me,”
“But my mom -”
“Yeah, they still talk,” said JJ, knowing what Caroline was about to say, “I still see my mom every other weekend, you know, it’s not the end of the world,” he smiled at Caroline reassuringly, “It’s just living with my old man meant working for my cut at home, which also meant summer jobs back in Kildare,”
“So that’s where you’ve been all this time…” whispered Caroline, mostly to herself, however JJ heard her.
“Yeah,” he responded, “Now that I’m old enough to be a counselor here and actually get paid for coming to summer camp I thought why not? Besides, your mom did tip mine off that you’d be here too,” he winked at Caroline, making her blush.
“Yeah, about that,” she said apologetically, “My mom likes to yap a lot, I wouldn’t take most of what she says seriously,”
“Well you are here, aren’t you?” said JJ, his face slightly leaning in towards Caroline’s.
Holy shit, this was it. Caroline was about to kiss JJ Maybank after a decade of fawning over him. Shit, shit, shit, she hadn’t really kissed anyone since that idiot from her class planted one on her at prom. What if she was a bad kisser? What if she’d forgotten how to kiss? As JJ closed his eyes and leaned even closer, Caroline decided to push the doubtful thoughts to the side as she closed her eyes too, leaning in towards him too. Their faces were inches apart, hearts pounding in their chests and, just as their lips were finally about to meet –
“There you are!” Sarah’s loud voice came from the hill behind them, startling them and making them both jump and immediately pull apart and straighten up. John B stumbled after her.
Caroline coughed awkwardly, trying to cover up the shame and embarrassment she was currently feeling, “Sarah… what are you doing here?”
With a knowing smirk on her face, Sarah put both hands on her hips, “Nothing,” she sing-sang, obviously finding the whole situation hilarious, “I’m sure it can wait,” she winked down at Caroline, while John B was waving around frantically behind Sarah at JJ, mouthing the words “DID YOU BONE?!” quite obviously.
JJ groaned as he stood up, helping Caroline up as well, “We’re all yours now, Sarah, what’s up?”
“Well me and John B had the afternoon free as well, so we went out front to his van and you’ll never believe what was taped to the door,”
“Wait, why’d you go to his van in the first place?”
Sarah rolled her eyes, “That’s beside the point now, Carrie, look” she shoved a piece of paper in the girl’s hands.
As Caroline unfolded the paper, the group gathered around her to look at what was written on it - 41° 56’ 54.3732�� N, 87° 39’ 19.2024” W.
“I have no idea what that means though,” confessed Sarah.
“Looks like coordinates to me,” said JJ.
“Hey, that’s what I said!” gasped John B, “But Sarah didn’t want to believe me,”
“Does anyone know how to read geographical coordinates?” JJ looked at his friends.
“Do I look like Google Maps to you?” asked Sarah.
“You’re right,” Caroline said as an idea sparked in her mind, “We can’t read coordinates, but I know someone who can,”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
“I’m just saying, Miss P,” JJ spoke confidently once the group was inside Pricilla’s office, “Now’s about the best time to host the traditional yearly treasure hunt,”
Pricilla squinted up at JJ through her pink glasses from where she was sat at her desk, “Keep talking, Maybank,”
“Don’t you think it’s a bit odd that it’s already been two weeks and none of these kids can read a compass yet?” continued JJ, earning a slow nod from the camp director, “Think about it, Miss P – Willowdale ain’t Willowdale without its treasure hunt,”
As JJ spoke, the rest of the group were silently praying behind him that his charismatic way with manipulating will work on Pricilla, giving them an excuse to ask her to decipher the mysterious coordinates they had gotten their hands onto. The old lady leaned back in her old leather chair and looked at JJ skeptically for a while, adding to the already built up tension.
“Give me a few days to map out the course and set up the coordinates,” she finally spoke, causing everyone in the group to silently cheer behind JJ. As they thanked her and turned to leave, she spoke up again, “Oh, and Maybank,” she called, everyone turning to look at her, “No funny business,”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Finally some normal camp activities. Thank you for reading so far, I would greatly appreciate you letting me know what you think about the story and the characters xxx
tags: @k-k0129 ; @hayleyy-l ; @marvellover04 ; @dumbasscorn ; @thrown-off-her-rhythm
#jj x y/n#jj masterlist#jj x you#jj x reader#jj one shot#jj x oc#jj fanfiction#john b#jj maybank#jj maybank imagine#jj maybank x reader#jj maybank one shot#jj maybank series#jj maybank masterlist#jj mayback#jj mayback x reader#jj obx fic#jj obx imagine#jj obx#jj outer banks
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God Help the Girl -Part 1/2-
By Rubato This book was published in 2017. Currently out of print.
Chapter 1: The Guard
Good Morning
Every day is the same. A black and gray world.
This same man is always amongst the morning crowd, his hair is unusual. An interesting shiny brass in the morning sunlight.
I only started seeing him in April of this year, so I suspect he’s new. His eyes are always dull. The dead-eyed look of a souless job. Not that different from me really.
Guard: Good Morning
Very few ever respond when I greet them at the door.
Reigen: Good Morning
But this man would always looks at me and replies.
7:39 and 17 seconds. Guard looks at watch as Reigen swipes his card key.
I don’t know when it started, but I came to look forward to seeing him every morning. Something interesting to look forward to in this otherwise dull job.
Guard looks at staff key card records. The man who entered the building at 7:39:17
Found it. Reigen Arataka. Don’t know what the Kanji is for his name.
I’ve been a very reserved person since I was little. I’m not a very emotional. I’ve never really held an interest in anything in particular, or taken an interest in anyone.
Gotten in plenty of fights as a student. I never start them, I was always just called in to help finish them. I don’t like violence, I don’t hate it either. I just go with the flow.
After highschool, I drifted around from one job to another, often ended up working with some shady dangerous types.
Even then, it was more of the same. A largely empty person in a mostly dull life. I don’t expect anything to change. That’s my life I guess.
I’ve been working at this office for god-knows-how-long when I first saw this guy.
-Lunchtime-
Older Guard: Hey
Guard: How are you?
Older Guard: So uh, I’m sorry to ask, but could you take over my night shift tonight?
Guard: sure
Older Guard: What?! Really?! Thank you! That’ll really help me. So, I’ll take your morning shift tomorrow then.
Guard: No, you don’t need to, I can work my own shift.
Older Guard: Um....well...
He’s walking around the office at night and notices that one of the rooms still has the light on.
Guard: I’m sorry, but I need you to leave so I can lock up.
There’s a guy collappsed over his desk. Guard: Oh... Oh god....
He imagines a news paper headline “Karoshi: Employee dies during the night”
(Japanese office workers occasionally die at work. This is common enough that it has it’s own term “Karoshi” People will spend days at the office, working nonstop, chasing deadlines until their bodies give out. )
Upon closer look the guy is breathing.
Guard: He’s asleep
Touches hair Guard: I touched it.
Reigen: nnnnnngh
Guard: Sir, the building is closed.
Reigen: OH NO I FELL ASLEEP! I..Im so sorry, Give me a minute, I need to gather my things.
Guard: Uh, take you time. It’s fine.
Reigen is escorted to the elevator by security. While they’re waiting for the elevator, Reigen asks: Hey, I see you every morning at the door.
Guard: ah yes
Reigen: So are you gonna be there tomorrow morning too?
Guard: Yes
Reigen: Wow you work really hard
Guard: yeah Well, alright, I need to move on and check the next floor. I’ll leave you here.
Reigen: Thank you. Sorry for the trouble.
Guard: You haven’t been looking well recently, don’t overwork yourself.
Reigen: Thank you. It’ll all be over tomorrow, and I’ll finally have a chance to rest.
Guard: ?
Reigen: I’ll be leaving now, thank you.
Reigen walks out. The caption on the guard says he’s very happy, even though his face has a flat expression.
Didn’t think I’d get to interact with him more. Maybe it’s worth staying at this job a little longer. Just think about it that’s all.
As the guard is thinking this, the background comic images show Reigen sticking his resignation letter into his bag.
Guard: Good Morning
Reigen: Thanks for your help last night.
Guard: GOOD MORNING
Reigen: You don’t have to yell.
Guard: I hope you got some good rest. Reigen: I left just in time to catch the very last bus last night. You saved me.
Guard: that’s good.
Reigen: Actually, today I’m...(he gets interrupted)
Coworker: Reigen! I was looking for you!
Reigen: Sen...Senpai!
Coworker: I can’t find the data report you were supposed to transfer over. I hope you didn’t shred it.
The guard tips his hat at him as Reigen is pulled away
Guard: Alright, I’m headed out
Older Guard: Okay, thanks again for covering my shift
He leaves. A while later Reigen comes by.
Reigen: Hey
Reigen: Where’s the other guard? the guy that’s at the door every morning....
Older guard: Oh, he finished his shift and went home.
Reigen: I see. I’m sorry but could you please......
Guard: Didn’t sleep last night. Guess I’ll go home and take a nap.
His phone rings.
Ah... hello?
Yes, it’s me. It’s been a while. Do you have a minute?
Sure
I have a job for you
Yeah?
It’s a security contractor for a facility on the outskirts of the city. It’s some kind of government thing or some kind of corporate research lab. I don’t have a lot of details, but either way, you’d need security clearance.
We just need some discreet people that wont open their mouths. I think it’s a good fit for you.
I’m sorry, but I’m busy with my current job.
Is that so? Well the pay for this position is very nice. I can pull some strings andf offer you a cash advance if you were to accept. Please think about it.
He hangs up
Thinks: Nah, I’m good, I’m looking forward to seeing him again.
-The Next Day-
Employee: Oh god I’m late!
Guard thinks: I didn’t see Mr. Reigen today. He’s never missed work. Did something happen?
Older guard: Oh hey, I’ve got something for you.
Guard: huh? Energy drinks and a card for the lobby coffee shop? The card has “Take care of yourself!” written on it.
Older guard: The guy with the light hair left them for you. He said it was too much trouble to take this stuff home, so he said you could have them.
He walked out with a box, I think he quit.
Oh, I see.
Life was dull once again, like it had been before.
TO BE CONTINUED
“God help the Girl“ is an odd title, but it’s actually a song from 2017 when this was first written. It’s about a person working a day to day job just to pay the bills. Their life is so mundane and dull that only supernatural or divine force will make it something different.
This comic is an attempt to explain why Ekubo always possesses that one guard in fanworks.
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hiii i am absolutely obsessed with ur drabbles could u please do nalu #4 and #39 pls🥺
“Walk out that door and we’re through” + “Please come home, I miss you”
This was tough cause the questions could trigger a story similar to this one I also did for these prompt asks round. But I think I can make it different enough, albeit angst hell 😅 here we go! It’s a little rushed but longer then I expected for a ficlet lol
“Lucy,” Natsu knocked at the office door, “it’s time to go.”
“Where?” She answered without looking up.
“Levy’s birthday party.”
“Oh!” Lucy sat up in her desk chair and turned her body to face her husband. “Right! I forgot. Um, shucks, but I’m on a writing high right now and I can’t stop— tell her I’ll make it up to her, will ya?”
She always says that… Natsu sighed, “yeah, sure…”
Levy Redfox was Lucy’s childhood best friend and while the woman was also his friend, it just didn’t sit well with Natsu that she’d choose writing over the woman. But this had been an ongoing issue lately... Don’t get him wrong, he fully supported his wife’s career as an author, especially now that it’s really starting to take off. The issue was it had consumed her at the expense of everyone around her.
He knocked on their friends door, answered by Levy herself.
“Natsu!” Levy hugged the man excitedly, but when she noticed he was alone, frowned a tad. “Again, huh?”
“I’m sorry, Levy,” Natsu’s shoulders slumped. “Lucy’s in a,” he made quotation marks in the air, “‘writing high,’ and said she’ll make it up to you.”
“Well, I’m glad you came,” the woman smiled despite the sadness hiding behind her eyes.
All of their closest friends were in attendance and spent the evening talking, eating, and playing a few fun birthday games. It distracted him to some extent, but as the night wore down and the other guests had all left, Natsu, his best friend Gray Fullbuster, Levy, and her husband Gajeel sat around in the living room talking about the elephant in the room. Lucy.
“I’ve tried talking to her,” Levy said quietly, “but, I try not to make it sound too harsh.”
“Maybe that’s exactly what you need to do babe,” Gajeel chimed in. “Be blunt.”
“Yeah, I’m like you,” Natsu agreed with Levy. “It’s not easy to bring it up cause she’s oblivious about it.”
“But it’s hurting your marriage man!” Gray looked at Natsu. “And your friendship,” he switched to Levy. “I’m with Gajeel. If you aren’t honest with her, it’s not gonna get better.”
“Think I don’t know that?!” Natsu spat back. “Think I enjoy being the only one in that house in pain?! I don’t, but—” his voice cracked, “I’m worried I’ll push her away if I say something.”
“She’s already pushing you away dude. Do you still love her?”
“Of course, I do,” Natsu sighed. “I love her more than anything, but apparently it’s not enough… we haven’t even… you know, I can’t remember the last time.”
“Wow… Then you really gotta tell her. All of it,” Gray coaxed.
Levy who’d sat quietly through the back and forth, chimed in quietly. “Gray’s right. You should tell her, when you go home, just tell her how you’re feeling. And whatever happens, happens. We can just hope for the best.”
“You know you’ll be the first to hear from her if I do,” Natsu pointed out.
“I know. But… it’s time I come clean too.”
Natsu slumped back onto the couch and let out a depressed exhale. “And you,” he looked to Gray. “You know if it goes wrong I’ll be showing up at your door.”
“My couch has your name on it.”
“Gee, thanks.”
That had to be the longest drive home Natsu had ever taken, even though it was really just 10 minutes. He was a physical person by nature and never been very good at expressing his feelings in words. Words were his wife’s domain. There were a lot of things he wanted to say, but his biggest fear was saying things wrong. With his hand on the doorknob, Natsu took one last breath and opened the door to her office. He knew before entering, Lucy was still working by the clacks of the keyboard and interrupting would immediately cause friction. But he couldn’t wait anymore.
“I’m home,” Natsu called out… with no response. He sighed and spoke more sternly. “Lucy. I’m home.”
“Oh, welcome home,” she finally responded. “How was the party?”
He knew it was an empty question, because she never even looked up or stopped typing and it meant she wasn’t really listening. “Lucy… we need to talk.”
“I’m kinda busy Natsu.”
“I know, but you’re always busy Lucy. That’s part of the problem.” The moment the last word came out, Natsu knew instantly he’d picked the wrong one. Crap.
Lucy stopped typing, turned off the screen and shut the laptop. “Problem?” She turned the chair around with her eyes narrowed in a focused glare. “What do you mean, problem?”
“Lucy,” he ran a hand down his face, “I don’t want to fight, but we need to talk— there’s a lot we need to talk about.”
“Like what?” She crossed her arms. “What is so important that you need to mess with my job?”
There it was.
“I’m not trying to do that,” he sighed. “You know how proud I am of your career. But, it feels as if you’re choosing your career over everything else in your life. Me, your friends, we’re all just being pushed aside—”
“Are you kidding me?!” Lucy shot out of her chair shaking in anger. “I am not doing any of that! I’m not pushing anyone away! Y-You’re the one who’s acting selfish trying to tell me I’m not giving you enough attention! And don’t you bring Levy into this! If this was bothering her she’d tell me!”
“It does bother her! But she’s afraid of getting,” he gestured with his hands up and down at Lucy, “this reaction! Is it selfish to want to spend some time with my own wife?!” Natsu growled. “We never spend time together anymore! You’re just always hunched over that damn computer!”
“I’m doing my job!” Lucy shrieked. “I have deadlines to meet! This story ain’t gonna write itself! Research ain’t gonna materialize on its own! It’s a lot of work!”
“Lucy,” Natsu pinched his brows together, trying hard to stop from snapping further as well as to control the tears building in his eyes. “I love you, more than anything in this world, but I don’t know what happened to the woman I’d married. The old Lucy wouldn’t abandon her loved ones like this.”
“You’re just mad because I’m successful now.”
“That’s bullshit! And you know it! No job is worth losing the people you care about, and if you can’t understand that, then, I don’t know what else to say!”
“Then I guess there isn’t anything more to say,” she spat back.
“I guess not.” Natsu answered softly, turned and left the room.
He’d already assumed confronting Lucy about her precious career would not end well, and he was right. Staying would only cause more trouble. So, he quietly packed a suitcase to go to Gray’s house, making sure to bring anything he’d need because he had no idea how long he’d stay there. He’d said his peace; it really was all in Lucy’s hands now.
Back in her office, Lucy dropped back down into her chair as the full weight of what just transpired hit her like a ton of bricks. She cradled her face in her hands as the anger that had fueled her response suddenly mixed with sadness. Tears flowed free. Did that really just happen?! She could hear Natsu moving around in the bedroom, the opening of drawers, the closet, the zipping sound of the suitcase, each and every step driving a knife deeper and deeper. How dare he tell her to stop writing! This was her dream! Her livelihood! Why couldn’t he just support her instead of acting like a child who wasn’t getting attention!
When she heard Natsu walking towards the front door area, Lucy raced out of the room to confront him one last time.
“Walk out that door and we’re through!” She screamed. “Do you hear me? We’re through!”
Natsu ignored her words knowing it was the anger talking… hoping it was just the emotions fueling her rage. “I’ll be at Gray’s,” he simply responded with a hint of sadness in his tone. “You should really think long and hard about this Lucy, because if not, you’ll lose a lot more than you realize.” And with that, he closed the front door behind him.
Lucy crumpled to the ground and wailed— raged, banging the floor with her fists as the sobbing overtook her. She truly could not understand what brought this on. Hadn’t she been a good wife?! Faithful! Hard working! What more did he want?! All she was doing was trying to make it in the cut-throat world of publishing. Does he not understand how hard it is to make it in that world?! She pulled her phone from her pocket and started to dial Levy’s phone number. But just as she got to the last two numbers, she stopped. It was already 1 am, and it would be rude to wake her friend up. Lucy sniffled and hung her head in shame before dragging herself back towards the bedroom. She’ll just call in the morning.
When Levy answered the phone, Lucy was slightly taken aback by the response. Not a hello, just a, ‘I wondered when you’d call.’ Evidently the woman was expecting it, but she was too tired to let it add to her problems. She hadn’t slept much after Natsu left— no surprise. She was still angry, but also confused, sad, and just mentally drained of life. Her friend agreed to come over in a bit, so Lucy dragged herself into the shower hoping it would make her feel better.
“Wow, you don’t look good,” Levy remarked at her friend.
“Hi to you too,” Lucy mumbled as she moved to the side to let her friend in. “Who would after a fight?”
Once settled on the couch, Levy went straight to the point before Lucy could even begin. “I already know what this is about. I know Natsu’s side, so start with yours.”
“Wow— okay, well—” Lucy pulled her legs up and tucked them underneath her body in a protective mode. “He tried to tell me to stop writing and I thought that was bullshit,” she said bluntly.
Levy’s brow raised. “Is that exactly what he said? To stop writing?”
“W-Well no, but that what he implied!”
“What did he say exactly?”
Lucy looked away, a scowl growing on her face and to hide the renewed moisture in her eyes. “He said I’m pushing everyone away.”
“And you don’t agree?”
“No! I’m not choosing my career over everyone! It’s ridiculous to even imply that I would!”
“Lu, do you still love your husband?”
“Of course, I love him!”
“Are you sure he knows you still love him?”
“I—” Lucy crossed her arms over her chest and sunk further into the couch mumbling. “I don’t see why he wouldn’t.”
“I can tell you, he doesn’t. Lu, you’ve pushed all of us away.”
“So, you’re taking his side?!”
“No. I’m giving you reality. You’ve been wrapped up in your fictional world so much that you’ve forgotten this one and the real people in it.”
“I—” Lucy turned away to hide the tears slowly starting to trickle down her face. “I never meant to…”
“I know…” Levy placed a hand on her friends leg. “Lu, we all know. He knows, but he’s hurting and it’s in your power to fix this.”
“But how?! I can’t just stop writing. I have deadlines and— you know, its a lot of work to put a story together.”
“You have to find a balance. Right?” Levy coaxed. “You have to take breaks. You have to relax sometimes. Natsu’s not asking you to stop, and he knows there will be times you really can’t stop. But it can’t be all the time, and right now it’s all the time.”
“I know…”
“Girl when was the last time you…” Levy wiggled her brows and grinned. “You know.”
Lucy blushed. “Too long.”
“Well?!” Levy laughed. “Are you finally getting our point?”
“Yeah,” Lucy sighed. “I got tunneled vision.”
Levy leaned in, adding pressured from the hand on Lucy’s leg and a softening in her voice. “And it put your marriage in jeopardy. But it’s not too late to fix it.”
The tears exploded from Lucy. “I told him… when he left, I-I told him don’t come back.” She buried her face in her hands as the sobbing took control. “I-I was screaming at him… so angry, I just lost it and—”
Levy pulled Lucy into a hug. “Shhh,” she held tight. “I’m sure he knew you didn’t mean it. Shh, it’s okay. Sometimes we say things we don’t mean when we’re mad. But you can still get him back, I’m certain of it.”
“H-how?!” Lucy sobbed into Levy’s shoulder. “He’s gotta be so mad at me!”
“Hun, Natsu’s more sad then mad. He needs to feel like you still love him.” Levy pulled away and cupped Lucy’s cheeks, staring, searching the woman’s eyes. “Can you tell him you love him?”
“I can tell him I love him,” Lucy sniffled.
“Then go tell him that!” She hugged her friend. “You’ll be okay Lu, you two are meant to last.”
“Thanks, Levy.”
“He’s at Gray’s right? Want me to drive you?”
“If you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Levy smiled. “Now clean up a bit, I’ll wait in the car.”
The whole ride over to Gray’s house was the most nerve wracking experience in Lucy’s life. As she sat there huddled in Levy’s passenger seat, all the ways she could ever apologize tried to funnel through her head. She was a writer, and yet for the first time in a long time, all the words dried up or mashed together like a broken verse. Levy did her best to keep Lucy calm, reminding her that it’s all about being honest— just let your heart do the talking for once and not her head.
“You got this,” Levy patted Lucy’s shoulder before she exited the vehicle.
Lucy sure hoped she did. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Seconds ticked by and with each chime, all the weight and worry crept closer to sending her over. He was mad. Too mad. He probably won’t answer…
Finally someone did. “You came?” Natsu’s voice was soft and low, his eyes still bloodshot and worn.
“I came,” Lucy hung her head in shame. “I’m sorry— F-For everything, Natsu please come home, I miss you. I love you more than my job, and I’m gonna make it up to you.”
“You always say that Lucy…”
Ouch. Straight through her heart. The tears broke free again as her knees weakened, causing her to fall against him. Natsu caught her, and she clung to him, gripped to his shirt. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please come home! I love you! Natsu please come home! I can change! I promise I’ll change!”
That’s when she felt his hold truly tighten around her body and his head come to rest against her own. Lucy sobbed harder from the acceptance, pouring her heart in her words. “I love you… I love you so much, I’m so sorry….”
Natsu cradled her head and closed his eyes, voice soft with an upbeat to its tone. “Now there’s the woman I married.”
He held Lucy tightly until her sobbing slowed, eventually pulling away just enough to wipe the tear trails away. “Shall we go home now?”
Lucy nodded. “Please….”
#fairy tail#nalu#natsu dragneel#lucy heartfilia#nalu au#nalu fan fic#nalu ficlet#nalu fan fiction#angst#asks and answers
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Love UnholyC Day 1
Day 1: Night of the Crows
Prologue ~Good morning, Master.~
Who is it? (Nothing)
… I’ve been awake for a while now. (Nothing)
–
Okay, you can delete it. See if I care.--> Game Over <--
No! I’m sorry T^T (Nothing)
–
I want to eat fried fish! (Nothing)
Same as always. (Nothing)
Fried goose please (Nothing)
Prologue ~William’s Rage~
What is with those crows? (Nothing)
Did I almost get myself killed just now? (Nothing)
–
I am—? (Nothing)
Is that a good thing? (Nothing)
–
What! Why?! (Nothing)
–
I want to talk to you a bit more! (Nothing)
Alright! I’m going to go play now! (Nothing)
Prologue ~Strange Letter, Strange People (Visual Novel)~
How rude of you to enter a lady’s room so abruptly! (Nothing)
Oh? William, you’re here? (Nothing)
–
Are you trying to have a peek into your master’s letter? (Nothing)
Go ahead. (Nothing)
--
Who is Dorian Gray? (Nothing)
What’s with that look? (Nothing)
–
If this Dorian Gray is as great as you say he is, maybe we should? (Nothing)
If it’s for my own good, we’ll do as the letter says! (Nothing)
–
Alright! So it begins! (Nothing)
Huh? I’m going to go alone? (Nothing)
–
Why are you staring at me? (Nothing)
(Avoids eye contact) (Nothing)
–
No, it wasn’t (Nothing)
Yeah, it’s my voice. (Nothing)
–
Very sensual, filled with lust—! It was amazing! (Nothing)
I felt an aura similar to mine. (Nothing)
–
—Mir. (Nothing)
–
Aren’t you being too impulsive? (Nothing)
Uh—thank you—?! (Nothing)
–
That’s because I haven’t gone through with my coming-of-age-ceremony. (Nothing).
I’ll have you know that I’m extremely dangerous? (Nothing)
–
Yeah, I can. (Nothing)
That’s a bit greedy of you— (Nothing)
–
Alright, I will. (Nothing)
I feel like I’ve got the shorter end of the stick— (Nothing)
–
Are you guys okay? (Nothing)
Maybe you all can take a step back now— (Nothing)
00:11 ~Welcome! Welcome!~
I’m awake (Hi)
No—I’m so sleepy— (Nothing)
–
An important practice? (Hi)
You should always sleep! (Nothing)
–
You’re very healthy, aren’t you? (Nothing)
I loved it as well— (Hi)
2:22 ~Thought you would struggle to sleep~
How did you know? (Leo)
Zzz— (Nothing)
–
You must really be tired T T (Leo)
Isn’t it good to be popular (Nothing)
Ah— correct answer (Nothing)
–
I am a bit disoriented— (Nothing)
I will get used to it (Leo)
5:33 ~Excuse me for a late “Hello”~
Good morning (Sol)
Isn’t this a bit too early? T^T (Nothing)
–
Is that advice for my own sake? (Nothing)
Are you saying that for their sake? (Sol)
–
You’re going already? (Nothing)
Alright, thanks! (Sol)
8:23 ~Today’s Cat~
?? (Nothing)
–
Thank you for inviting me to the group chat hehe (Hi)
Lol this is a lot to take in! (Nothing)
–
Lol, you really are close (Leo)
Seems more one sided if you ask me—; (Sol)
–
…What is that? (Leo)
Oh~ what’s a pretty decent shot! (Sol)
–
Um— a bit? (Hi)
Well, no? I’m not partial to anything. (Leo)
–
Wow—Sol, you’re quite attentive? (Nothing)
Maybe we should give it more water? (Nothing)
10:38 ~I already have a plan tonight.~
Don’t die on me…! (Nothing)
Ah, he was a great idol. RIP (Sol)
–
I did distract you from your work? T^T (Nothing)
It’s all thanks to me~ Ehem (Leo)
–
If you’ve just got back from your short vacation—it really must be tough. (Hi)
So you can do it if you put your mind to it—so cool—! (Nothing)
—
Plans? What’s that? (Nothing)
Weren’t you coming to see me tonight? T^T(Leo)
–-
I’m nervous—tremble— (Sol)
Toys? Are they for me? (Hi)
–
I want to collect my acme as fast as possible— (Nothing)
I’m looking forward to meeting all of you guys once again—! (Nothing)
–
It could be temporary. (Nothing)
You’re making me blush— (Nothing)
12:32 ~Ripeato is sunny again~
Couldn’t you guys just have talked on a private convo— (Nothing)
I wonder what they look like! (Sol)
What picture? (Nothing)
–
Do you have something to do at night? (Nothing)
VIP? (Sol)
–
Does Sol work for someone dangerous? (Nothing)
Can you give me an example? (Hi)
–
Why do they come to Ripeato? (Leo)
Wow, I don’t know what’s going on but that’s pretty cool— (Nothing)
–
Sol, you like cakes? (Nothing)
I like hanging around people who are laid back! (Leo)
–
Hi seems to be busy. He isn’t talking on the phone. (Hi)
What are you guys going to do now? (Nothing)
14:15 ~Collaboration~
Something interesting? (Nothing)
No, I’m not busy~ (Leo)
–
Oh! So Leo is going to be Ripeato’s model? (Sol)
Alright. Enough about that. Tell me something interesting. (Nothing)
–
Hi, you really like Leo, don’t you? (Hi)
I think the collaboration is a good idea— (Leo)
–
You two are surprisingly in sync—I think! (Nothing)
Aren’t you being too cold? T^T (Nothing)
–
I hope everything works out~ (Nothing)
Since we’re done talking, are you guys gonna go now? (Sol)
–
I’m okay. Continue! (Hi)
Hi—you’re a scary person— (Nothing)
16:48 ~Why do you make me restless, Master?~
I’m over here!! (Nothing)
In your heart? (Nothing)
–
Thank you for looking out for me. (Nothing)
I get the feeling that you always view me in a negative light! T^T (Nothing)
–
There’s nothing strange— (Nothing)
Have faith in me T^T (Nothing)
–
No, I did find partners! (Nothing)
About that… we have as slight problem (Nothing)
18:39 ~A Lookalike~
No, I haven’t. (Nothing)
Yeah, what about you Sol? (Nothing)
–
Sol, why are you so obsessed with food? (Nothing)
So the working environment in Ripeato is great! (Sol)
–
Yeah! They are really similar but we’ll just let it slide! (Hi)
Hahaha I didn’t know Sol was such a pushover. (Nothing)
–
That’s great! You’ve got to earn your kept when you’re young! (Nothing)
I guess that goes to show how busy you are on a daily basis. (Leo)
–
I can also buy you toys if you want! (Nothing)
What toys? (Nothing)
–
That’s hardly interesting T^T (Sol)
Maybe she’s nervous because she’s in your presence? (Nothing)
–
Hm? Why are you saying my name? (Nothing)
You were thinking about me? (Leo)
–
Sol, what did you think about me when we first met? (Sol)
I think your first impressions were pretty impressive as well. (Hi)
–
Don’t tease him so much guys— (Hi)
Thank you for the compliment! (Leo)
19:32 ~The seal is fading!~
Speak, student Hi. (Hi)
Mir, Mir? (Nothing)
–
Hi is too weak to spank! (Nothing)
All three of you aren’t exactly kids though; (Sol)
–
You’ve been checking on it? (Nothing)
Yes, it’s fine~ (Nothing)
–
I would love to have you guys as my boyfriends— (Leo)
Shouldn’t we take it slow?! (Sol)
–
TT Stop rubbing salt into my wounds— (Nothing)
Yeap! I am proud to be single! (Leo)
–
Seriously? “eee?” not “aaa?” (Hi)
You’re going to make me cry or my boyfriend? (Nothing)
20:47 ~How was our first impression?~
What a coincidence. I was just thinking about you too. (Leo)
What do you want to chat about? (Nothing)
–
I knew it! (Hi)
Oh wow— that’s a lot to take in— (Sol)
–
What is it? Ask away~ (Nothing)
What is it— (Worried) (Nothing)
–
And I thought you were going to throw me a serious question~ (Nothing)
Being judged by people constantly— that must be hard on you guys. (Nothing)
–
You looked cute. (Nothing)
You seemed dangerous. (Hi)
–
He seemed sly. (Nothing)
He seemed mature. (Leo)
–
He seemed solid. (Nothing)
He seemed sweet. (Sol)
21:32 ~Scariest person~
Did you guys have lunch? (Sol)
I am bored— what are you guys up to? (Hi)
–
What! You haven’t had anything? (Nothing)
Leo! Come! I will buy you lunch! (Leo)
–
Sol is so sensible. (Nothing)
Sol’s right. You need to eat T T (Sol)
–
Sol—is cold— I think? (Leo)
I think Sol is compassionate! (Nothing)
–
That’s relieving. (Nothing)
Dangerous past sounds cool—! (Nothing)
–
What happened? (Nothing)
Should I come over? (Hi)
22:22 ~Miss you so much!~
Hi how are you feeling? (Hi)
I feel sleepy— it’s time to sleep—(Nothing)
–
Omg— are you okay? (Nothing)
Are the others okay? (Leo)
–
I feel bad for putting you guys through this— (Sol)
Why don’t you try to enjoy the situation? (Hi)
–
Boss! Are you okay? (Sol)
How is he? (Nothing)
–
Calm down first;;;; (Nothing)
I want to see you guys soon too… (Leo)
23:59 ~Be responsible~
Why are you asking me that? (Nothing)
I’m over here! (Nothing)
–
Wait a minute! I’ll ask William! (Nothing)
I told you that when I gave you my number— (Nothing)
–
No William is my butler! (Nothing)
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Character Story - Yuki (2006) [RGGO]
The next few stories will be about three very beautiful, very elegant, very alive ladies (which should narrow it down quite a lot lol). First up: She’s single! She’s 39! She’s probably addicted to gacha games! It’s Yuki!!
Story: Yuki learns that her father is ill, and wants to show him that she is reliable and capable so that he won’t pass on with regrets. Everyone tries to help her maintain the lie because she is, in fact, neither reliable nor capable. Majima gives a speech about the power of friendship.
(Featuring the 3 different artstyles of RGGO-verse: anime, paint-y, and Dragon Engine; all in the same weird screenshot!)
Majima & Youda: “We love you, Yuki-chan. Even if you’re dumb, and clumsy, and stupid, and gullible . . .”
Yuki: “. . . I wish I had better friends.”
.
CHAPTER 1
.
|Four Shine wins the Cabaret Club Grand Prix, and became a popular cabaret club after that . . . The temporary club manager Kiryu leaves Sotenbori, so the owner Yuki and the club manager Youda handle the club in place of three people.|
|Four Shine, Sotenbori.|
Waiter: “Kirara has been nominated for Table No. 2! Bring a wet towel for Table No. 4!”
Yuki: “Phew~ . . . I’m even busier than usual . . . Oh? Koyuki-chan, you look pale. Maybe you’re sick?”
Koyuki: “. . . I couldn’t sleep much yesterday. But it’s fine. We’re short on staff today.”
Yuki: “No, no! What if you break your body! Please go home now and get some rest!”
Koyuki: “But the 5th table . . .”
Yuki: “No buts! I’ll do something about your absence, just leave it to me!”
Koyuki: “I . . . I understand. But, I want to work once I feel better, so I’ll just rest here in the back.”
{Koyuki leaves to take a break.}
Yuki: “Indeed . . . Koyuki-chan is a hard worker.”
Waiter: “Yuki-san. Where is Koyuki-san? Table No. 5 has been waiting for a while now . . .”
Yuki: “Eh?! Table No. 5?! That’s right, I forgot . . . Koyuki-chan is resting right now. What should I do . . .”
Waiter: “If Koyuki-san can’t do it, then I guess they can wait a little longer, Aika-san would be available then . . .”
Yuki: “Y-Yeah, yeah! I’m sorry, please do that . . . ! I’ll go apologize to the customer later . . . !”
{The waiter leaves to give Table No. 5 the news.}
Yuki: “Haa . . . I said to leave it to me but then I completely forgot . . . I’m losing my mind . . .”
Cast Member Erica: “Uuugh . . . Yuki-san . . .”
Yuki: “Oh?! What’s wrong, Erica-chan? Isn’t it your day off . . . ?”
Cast Member Erica: “I . . . I was dumped by my boyfriend . . . I was feeling sad and lonely . . . so I came here . . .”
Yuki: “Oh . . . Don’t cry Erica-chan. I’m sure you’ll find a better boyfriend. And even if you don’t have a boyfriend, it’s fun! It’s great to be able to play online games by yourself at home!”
Cast Member Erica: “I-Is that okay for Yuki-san? Even though you’re 39 years old, you haven’t had a crisis about having no boyfriend . . .”
Yuki: “Eh?! I-I . . . ? I-Is that actually bad after all . . . ?”
Cast Member Erica: “Well, I guess it depends on the person . . . you’re 39 years old. If you like older men, would you like me to introduce one to you?!”
Yuki: “Don’t mention my age so much . . . you’re making me depressed. At the very least, Erica-chan seems to be feeling much better. . . . Oh!! Look at the time! Youda-san wanted us to talk about shifts!”
----
Yuki: “Ah, I’m here . . . but, is he on the phone?”
Youda (on the phone): “. . . I want to go to the amusement park with my family too, but as the club manager, I can’t take a day off on a busy Friday. So maybe next time, when everyone’s schedule lines up again . . . yes, I’m sorry.”
{Youda hangs up.}
Yuki: “Youda-san. Are you talking about next Friday? You can take a day off if you want to go with your family!”
Youda: “Eh?! Ah, Yuki-chan. No, that’s not the case . . .”
Yuki: “It’s not a problem. I’ll do something about it when the day comes. You should enjoy yourself with your family once in a while!”
Youda: “. . . Thank you, Yuki-chan. Your words have brought me happiness.”
----
Yuki: “. . . Ah, this is bad, this is bad! Before I forget, I should make a note of the change in Youda-san’s schedule . . . Is Takada also on break that day . . . he said he’d be on a date with his girlfriend so he’ll be taking a day off. Oh? Shirota is also taking that day off. That means . . . there are no waiters for that day?! I’ve done it now . . . how can I do this without Youda-san . . . But it’ll be hard for me to say he should work again . . .”
Youda: “Hey, Yuki-chan. I’m grateful for you giving me next Friday off. Thanks to that, both my wife and daughter were happy.”
Yuki: “I-Is that right . . . I’m happy for you . . . Haha . . .”
{Yuki’s phone rings.}
Yuki: “. . . Hello? My dad’s . . . you’re a colleague of my dad? . . . Eh? He collapsed and was brought to the hospital?! What . . . What should I do . . . I . . . What should I do . . .”
Youda: “Go do what you need to do! Leave the club to me . . . go on!”
Yuki: “. . . Yes. Youda-san, thank you very much. Excuse me . . . everyone, please let me through!”
----
{Yuki bumps into someone on her way out.}
Yuki: “Ah! S-Sorry . . . I’m in a hurry . . .”
Rough-looking Man: “Oi, oi . . . that hurt, Neechan . . . my bone is broken where you hit it. I think the cost of treatment’s gonna be pretty high.”
Yuki: “B-Broken bone?! Are you okay?!”
???: “If you can get a broken bone from getting hit by a girl, you’re a pretty pathetic man~.”
Rough-Looking Man: “Oh? Who’s that?”
Majima: “Hi~hihi! Awfully hostile for a weak kink! Are you a masochist looking to experience some pain?”
Yuki: “Ma-Majima-san!”
Majima: “Yo, Yuki-chan. I was in the area so I dropped by . . . but it looks like you’re in a hurry! I’ll handle this pathetic Niichan. You should get going.”
Yuki: “Th-Thank you very much . . . Please excuse me. I’ll pay the treatment fee later!”
{Yuki runs off.}
Rough-Looking Man: “You let that Neechan go without my permission. Are you paying for my treatment fee instead?”
Majima: “No one’s paying. Unlike Yuki-chan, I ain’t a fool who believes ya actually broke a bone.”
Rough-Looking Man: “. . . So I guess you’re not paying up obediently. If you go against me, you’re paying for your own treatment!”
{Majima beats up the guy.}
----
Yuki: “Haa . . . Haa . . . My dad’s hospital room . . . is here . . .”
???: “I’m . . . so terrible . . .”
Yuki: “. . . ?!”
Yuki’s Father: “. . . Doctor. Please keep it secret from my daughter. My daughter . . . I don’t want her to know. How much longer do I have . . .”
Doctor: “. . . Around 1 month.”
Yuki: (1 month?! My dad only has 1 month to live?! So . . . to not make me sad . . . Dad has been trying to keep his illness from me . . .)
Doctor: “Excuse me.”
{The doctor leaves, and Yuki enters the room.}
Yuki: “D-Dad . . . Are you okay? I heard you fell down . . .”
Yuki’s Father: “Oh, Yuki . . . you came. It’s not anything major . . . nothing to worry about.”
Yuki: “Is that so . . . that’s good.”
Yuki: (That’s a lie . . . it’s really a major illness. But . . . it’s a lie he’s telling just for me . . . so I can’t say I know it’s a lie . . .)
Yuki’s Father: “That’s right. So . . . urkk!!”
Yuki: “?!”
Yuki’s Father: “Oh, it’s nothing bad . . . I just got a big hiccup, hahaha.”
Yuki: (. . . that’s also a lie. I’m sure he’s sick and his body is in tatters . . . to be enduring such pain . . .)
Yuki: “Dad . . . I’m going to the bathroom for a while.”
{Yuki leaves and starts pacing outside the room, crying.}
Yuki: Uuugh . . . Don’t cry. It makes no sense for my dad to hide his illness so desperately.”
Yuki’s Father: “. . . Haa. I hope Yuki’s alright.”
Yuki: “. . . !”
Yuki’s Father: “I can’t help but worry about the future of that child.”
Yuki: “Dad . . . he’s worried about leaving me all alone. It’s because I’m not reliable . . . If Dad is worried about me, he’ll die with regrets . . . That’s not good! I have to let him know I can make it on my own . . . I have to reassure him at least . . . !”
{Yuki marches back in the room.}
Yuki’s Father: “So Yuki . . . is work going well?”
Yuki: “it’s going really well! It’s going so well, I’m actually worried about needing to expand the club!”
Yuki’s Father: “Well, that’s good. Isn’t Yuki’s clumsiness causing trouble for the club?”
Yuki: “Ughh . . . speaking of which, earlier today . . .”
Yuki: (I shouldn’t . . . I have to reassure him . . . ! He has to know I’m not a bad owner!)
Yuki: “Don’t you know, I’m not the same Yuki anymore? I’m called a charismatic owner now. I’m so reliable, everyone in the club is piggyback riding on me! So I’ve been busy lately!”
Yuki’s Father: “I see . . . Yuki has become great too. Okay. Can I come see the club tomorrow? I want to see the work of a charismatic owner.”
Yuki: “Eh?! Come see me work?! But you’re ill . . .”
Yuki’s Father: “I’ll talk to my doctor about it. It won’t interfere with your work, right?”
Yuki: “Y-Yup. Of course. I, I, I . . . I’ll show you what a charismatic owner looks like.”
----
|Four Shine.|
Yuki: “Hiii~! Everyone, Wh-What should I do~!!”
Koyuki: “You really went all out by saying you’re a charismatic owner . . .”
Youda: “Moreover, your dad is dropping by tomorrow . . . you don’t have time to grow up . . .”
Majima: “Hihihi, then I have no choice but to show off my charisma skills to Yuki-chan!”
Yuki: “You’re going to help me Majima-san?! Thank you so much!”
Youda: “Making Yuki-chan look charismatic . . . It’s a difficult problem, but I have no choice but to do it.”
Koyuki: “For Yuki-san . . . we’ll overcome any troubles!”
Majima: “Alright! Let’s turn the stupid, stupid Yuki-chan into a person full of charisma!”
Koyuki & Youda: “Yeah!”
Yuki: “It’s like being casually told something so cruel . . .”
.
-END-
.
CHAPTER 2
.
Yuki’s Father: “Sorry for bothering you. Oh, this is the first time I’ve seen it, but it’s a lively club.”
Yuki: “Fufu. That’s because it’s a club run by a charismatic owner like me. I’ve told everyone, so you can tour around as much as you like.”
Yuki’s Father: “Yeah. I want to see Yuki’s hard work. I’ll just be careful not to get in the way of everyone in the club.”
Majima: “. . . Alrighty then, Youda-han. Let’s start the operation. Ask away.”
Youda: “Please leave it to me!”
Youda: “Owner! I want to consult about our monthly sales.”
Yuki’s Father: “Oh, it’s Yuki’s turn right away . . . good luck, Yuki. I’ll be nearby.”
Youda: “Compared to last month, weekend sales have dropped by about 10%, what measures should we take?”
Yuki: “I see . . . last month was a busy month, we’ll need to deal with the decline immediately.”
Youda: (Good, Yuki-chan. Just like I taught you. Now just talk about the measures as it is. That way your dad will think you’re an owner who makes solid management decisions . . . Operation ‘Make Perfect Management Decisions’! Yuki-chan, tell me exactly what I taught you . . . !)
Yuki: “Since the seats are almost full by 7:00 PM, If we want to increase sales, we should consider opening at other times or making outdoor seating available. To the customers who come in early . . . you need to be ‘sensitive’.
Youda: (?! No, Yuki-chan! You need an ‘incentive’! You don’t need to be sensitive!)
Yuki: “Besides labor costs . . . you also need ‘Cosmo Cut’. Make a list of the things you need to buy in large quantities.”
Youda: (Yuki-chan! You’re supposed to say ‘cost cut’! Cosmo Cut is a special move . . . !)
Yuki: “I’ll do it, I’ll call our suppliers. I’ll be out for a while.”
{Yuki leaves.}
Yuki’s Father: “. . . Sensitive? Cosmo Cut?”
Youda: (No, no! He has doubts! At this rate, the hopeless owner will be revealed . . . I got it!)
Youda: “Oh, you might not know about it. Those are technical terms used in the nightlife industry.”
Yuki’s Father: “Oh, is that right?”
Youda: “Yes. ‘Sensitive’ means good customer service that enhances customer satisfaction and encourages future visits. ‘Cosmo Cut’ is a cost-cutting method where we purchase on a large scale, as large as the universe.”
Yuki’s Father: “I see! I was wondering if Yuki had made a mistake. I learned a lot. Thank you very much.”
Youda: (Phew~ . . . that’s good. Somehow I managed . . .)
Yuki: “Fufufu. How was it, Majima-san? I did it perfectly.”
Majima: “Yuki-chan, did you even notice you made a mistake . . . you should thank Youda-han later.”
Yuki: “Eh?! I-I made a mistake?!”
Majima: “No worries. Youda-han managed to fix it. Operation ‘Solve the Cast’s Worries!’ is ready to go, so it’s okay. Good luck.”
----
Koyuki: “Yuki-san. I have something to consult with you . . . is that okay?”
Yuki’s Father: “Oh, a consultation from the cast. Can I watch from nearby?”
Koyuki: “. . . Yes. No problem. Because you’re the father of the charismatic owner Yuki-san.”
Yuki’s Father: “Thank you! Then I’ll be close by. Good luck~ Yuki!”
Yuki: (It’s fine . . . Koyuki-chan is going to talk about customer service and I just have to give advice . . . I failed earlier . . . but I can’t make any more mistakes. I have to give solid advice as an owner.)
Koyuki: “Actually, I’m worried because the number of requests for me has decreased recently. How can I give good customer service that will increase my number of nominations?”
Yuki: “I see . . . That’s . . . um . . . hmm . . . That’s . . .”
Yuki: (Why is nothing good coming out of my mouth?! Wh-What do I do, what do I do!!)
Yuki’s Father: “Oh? Is something wrong, Yuki? If you keep silent, you won’t be able to give advice . . .”
Yuki: (Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What should I do?! Nothing’s coming out! My dad’s going to figure out the lie!)
Koyuki: “. . . I understand, Yuki-san. You’re saying I should find the solution myself.”
Yuki: “. . . Eh?!”
Koyuki: “Even if I think I’ll understand if I ask other people for help, I won’t really get it. Instead, I should think hard and figure it out myself . . . ! You did something as bold as shutting up, just so I’d be aware of it. Thank you very much! I’ll try my best!”
Yuki’s Father: “I see . . . It’s better to figure things out by yourself. To convey that through silence . . . Yuki has grown up.”
Yuki: “A-After all, there are things better communicated if unsaid . . .”
Yuki: (That’s good . . . thanks to Koyuki-chan’s wit, I managed to keep up the lie . . . Next, Majima-san’s friend will cause a ruckus and I’ll stop him in Operation ‘Don’t Tolerate Annoying Guests!’ . . . What kind of person is this Nishida-san who’s going to play as the annoying guest?)
Majima: “So, is it time to give the signal to Nishida and the others?”
Waiter: “Excuse me, Majima-san. A thug outside the club said to ‘give this to the man in an eyepatch with a Techno haircut’ . . .”
Majima: “Haa~, it’s hard being so popular. . . . I’ll give the signal to Nishida and the others when I get back.”
----
Rough-Looking Man: “I thought I saw a similar guy entering this club . . . looks like I was right on the mark.”
Majima: “. . . Huh. You’re the weak Niichan from yesterday. Did you come back to have your bones broken for real?”
Rough-Looking Man: “This is the end of the line Eyepatch Guy! This time I brought a friend who prides himself on fights! We’ll kill you and sink you in Sotenbori River!!”
{Majima fights the guys.}
----
G.B. Holmes: “Nishida-san. Is it okay to rampage now?”
Nishida: “No! Stop, stop! We have to wait until Boss gives the signal. But what is the boss doing . . . it’s been too long since his last instruction . . .”
???: “Stop screwing around, idiot!!”
Nishida: “?!”
Waiter: “C-Customer. Please calm down.”
Troublesome Customer: “No way! I’m paying a lot of money for so few drinks!! I’ll teach you what happens when you try to scam me!! Bring me the person in charge!!”
Nishida: “Eh . . . ? Is that a real disruptive customer? We have to stop him . . . but . . . knowing Boss, he could have actually prepared someone other than us to make it a surprise . . .”
G.B. Holmes: “Would you like to go ask the boss . . . ?”
Nishida: “Yeah. It would be bad if we get in Yuki-san’s way . . . I’m sure Boss went out the club a while ago . . . Let’s go look for him, Gary!”
----
Troublesome Customer: “Where’s the person in charge!!”
Yuki: “The person in charge is here! I’m Yuki, the owner. If you have any complaints about our club, I’ll listen to them as much as you want!”
Yuki: (. . . I keep failing so far. I have to make a quick decision here and recover my honor! Even so . . . He’s a much scarier person than Majima-san said . . . this Nishida-san.)
.
-END-
.
CHAPTER 3
.
Troublesome Customer: “Where is the person in charge!!”
Yuki: “I’m Yuki, the owner. If you have any complaints about our club, I’ll listen to them as much as you want!”
Yuki’s Father: “That customer . . . that man looks like he’s yakuza . . . will Yuki be alright?”
Youda: “She’ll be fine. Yuki-san is a charismatic owner.”
Youda: (It’s a customer we prepared . . . but, I didn’t know Majima-san’s friend Nishida-san was this kind of person . . .)
Yuki: (Repel this disruptive customer prepared by Majima-san . . . I’ll show my dad what I can do! Show him I have a solid place . . . my dad with a low life expectancy . . . I’ll reassure him!)
Yuki: “This is my club! I won’t let you do anything! If you have any complaints, then settle your bill and please get out!”
Troublesome Customer: “You’re the owner? How dare you speak to your customers like that!!”
Yuki: (Huh . . . ? Nishida-san is supposed to run away if I say ‘get out’ . . . Did he not notice the cue for the little arrangement? I’ll say it more clearly . . .)
Yuki: “G . . . Get out!!”
Troublesome Customer: “Who are you to order me around!!”
Yuki: (Eeh . . . ?! He still hasn’t noticed?! It’s really spontaneous, Nishida-san. Maybe he’ll understand if I speak in a Kansai dialect? . . . Alright then!)
Yuki: “L-Let’s get out!!”
Troublesome Customer: “. . . Huh?”
Yuki: “Eh? Did I say it wrong? Then . . . Can’t get out! . . . Is it still wrong? How about . . . Please get out!”
Troublesome Customer: “What are you doing! Are you playing around!! I’m being serious!!”
Yuki: (Kansai dialect isn’t working . . . ?! I-I don’t know what more I can do!)
Yuki: “N-Nishida-san . . . I’m already saying your cue to turn back. Next time I say it . . . please run away.”
Troublesome Customer: “What the hell are you whispering!! And who is Nishida! I’m Kawano!!”
Yuki: “Ka-Kawano-san?!”
Troublesome Customer: “You keep saying a Miss like you is the owner, the owner! I was just having fun, just got a little handsy and rattled the pitcher a bit! I’m a customer who paid lots of money! How will you make up for making me feel bad!!”
Yuki: (He’s different from what I heard from Majima-san . . . This person, could it be . . . h-he’s a real disruptive customer?!)
----
Majima: “You’re a really stubborn guy . . . Hm?”
Nishida: “Boss! I have a little something to tell you . . . uguh!”
{Nishida suddenly gets Tachibana’d and drops to the ground. Fortunately, unlike Tachibana, Nishida is wearing a Majima Construction Helmet ™.}
G.B. Holmes: “Nishida-san!”
Rough-Looking Man’s Friend: “That’s one of your buddies down . . . Don’t think you can get away with doing that to our friend.”
Majima: “. . . He still has friends. I thought he only had one. But . . . it can’t be helped, Nishida. Sorry I didn’t keep them away.”
Nishida: “I’m sorry, Boss . . . ow ow . . .”
Majima: “I’ll show you right now how to pass judgment on a fool who chooses the wrong kind of prey!”
----
Troublesome Customer: “Hehe, I finally see a scared face. Then I’d like you to apologize quickly.”
Yuki: “A-An apology . . . ?”
Troublesome Customer: “I was looking forward to throwing back drinks here, so get me a lady and a waiter. Shouldn’t you pay me too? Call it a compensation fee. Then I’ll think about forgiving you a little.”
Yuki: “Th-That’s . . .”
Troublesome Customer: “I don’t care about your opinion! Bring me a lady and a waiter!!”
Yuki: “B-But . . .”
Troublesome Customer: “Do it!! Or I’ll kill you!!!!”
Yuki: “Hiii! Do-Don’t kill me!”
Troublesome Customer: “Heh, you’re a pitiful figure. If you don’t want to get killed, bring me a lady and a waiter and give me back my money! I’ll hit the waiter until his face is messed up, then I’ll bring the lady to a hotel and punish her a lot.”
Yuki: “. . . ! I . . . I won’t let you do that.”
Troublesome Customer: “. . . Oh?”
Yuki: “To do my best to give the staff peace of mind . . . that is the work . . . of an owner . . .”
Troublesome Customer: “Huh?! I’ll kill you!!”
Yuki: “I’m sorry you’re not satisfied, but everyone in the club is doing their best to serve customers. Doing things that the girls don’t like . . . If you have any complaints, you don’t have to come here anymore. Here’s your bill. Now go home and don’t come back again.”
Troublesome Customer: “Don’t come back again? Is this your attitude towards customers!!!!”
Troublesome Customer: “. . . what are you doing?”
Youda: “Apparently, he’s not the guy we prepared. As the store manager, I can’t forgive any violence!”
Yuki: “Youda-san . . . Erica-chan . . . Koyuki-chan . . . ! it’s dangerous! Stay back! Don’t get hurt for a bad owner like me!”
Youda: “. . . Didn’t you switch around my shift so I can go to the amusement park with my family? Think of this as me returning the favor.”
Koyuki: “That’s right! I also have a lot of gratitude towards Yuki-san for caring about my physical condition!”
Cast Member Erica: “Me too! You showed me a lot of kindness after my boyfriend dumped me!!”
Yuki: “E-Everyone . . .”
Troublesome Customer: “This disgusting club . . . treating me as the bad guy. If you all get in the way, then I’ll kill you all together!”
{All four of them gang up on the guy and beat him up.}
Troublesome Customer: “Haa . . . haa . . . you cowards . . . fighting 4 against 1 . . .���
Four Shine Customer A: “Not just 4! If you do anything else, we’ll join in too!”
Four Shine Customer B: “That’s right!! There’s no better club than this! If you have any complaints, then get out!!”
Troublesome Customer: “. . . ?! That’s it, I’m never coming back to this club again!”
{The disruptive customer runs out.}
Koyuki: “. . . Yuki-san, are you alright?!”
Yuki: “Y-Yeah . . . I’m okay. Everyone . . . thank you so much for your help.”
Yuki’s Father: “. . . That was great, Yuki.”
Yuki: “. . . I don’t think so. My clothes got dirty . . . I’ll go get changed a little.”
----
Yuki: “Haa . . . it’s no good . . . I . . . Even this year, I’m still being helped by people . . . Because of this, my dad can’t be reassured by the lie that I’m a ‘charismatic owner’ . . .”
Majima: “. . . As usual you’re thinking so negatively~. I . . . I don’t think that’s the case.”
Yuki: “Oh! Majima-san?!”
Majima: “Yuki-chan did well today. Didn’t you stand up against a real nuisance customer? Besides, it’s not a bad thing to be helped by people. It’s all thanks to Yuki-chan’s humanity. Youda-han, Koyuki-chan, Erica-chan, the customers, they all took the risk to help Yuki-chan.”
Yuki: “Ma-Majima-san . . .”
Majima: “I don’t know if anyone can live by themselves. If you need help, then you’ll be given help. As a father, if I found out that there are many people who can help Yuki-chan, I think that’s enough to give me peace of mind. . . . even if Yuki-chan herself is a stupid, stupid owner.”
Yuki: “. . .”
----
Yuki: “Dad . . . do you have a moment? . . . Actually, I have to apologize for something.”
Yuki’s Father: “Eh? Apologize for what . . . ?”
Yuki: “Actually . . . it’s a lie that I’m a charismatic owner of the club and everyone relies on me. As you saw, I’m a hopeless owner who can only do things with the help of everyone . . . Dad, I’m sorry for lying to you . . .”
Yuki’s Father: “. . . Is that so. I had a feeling it was like that. But I’m glad I could see your hard work even if it was a lie. Even if you being a charismatic owner is a lie, I could see you were loved by friends.”
Yuki: “Dad . . .”
Yuki’s Father: “I’m relieved that you are blessed with good friends.”
Yuki: “U . . . uugh . . . Daaad! I don’t want you to dieeeeeeee!!!!”
Majima: “Yuki-chan . . .”
Yuki’s Father: “. . . Die? What are you talking about?”
Yuki: “. . . Dad has a serious illness and only has a short life expectancy. I heard you ask the doctor to hide it from me, to ‘please keep my illness secret from my daughter’ . . .”
Yuki’s Father: “Oh, you heard that?! I should have told you properly.”
Yuki’s Father: “This is hard for me to say, but my illness is . . . ‘hemorrhoids’.”
Yuki: “Hemorrhoids . . . that is a serious illness . . . wait, hemorrhoids?!?!”
Majima, Youda, & Koyuki: “He . . . Hemorrhoids . . . !?”
Yuki: “Hemorrhoids . . . that’s . . . is it the one found on your butt? It has a similar name with a serious illness . . .”
Majima: “. . . you can’t find hemorrhoids anyplace other than the butt.”
Yuki’s Father: “I was so embarrassed it hurt so much that I fainted . . . so I kept it secret from Yuki . . .”
Yuki: “Th-Then . . . wasn’t it your life expectancy that the doctor said was only ‘one more month’?”
Yuki’s Father: “. . . That’s how long it takes for my hemorrhoids to heal completely.”
Yuki: “So when you sometimes looked like you were in such pain . . .”
Yuki’s Father: “. . . It’s because the hemorrhoids hurt.”
Yuki: “Then when you said, ‘I’m worried about Yuki’s future’, didn’t that mean you were worried about leaving me all alone?”
Yuki’s Father: “. . . I heard that the tendency to get hemorrhoids is inherited. I was worried you’d develop terrible hemorrhoids.”
Yuki: “E-Eeeeeeeeh?! So it was just a misunderstanding that you have a short life expectancy?!”
Yuki’s Father: “Th-That’s right. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding . . .”
Yuki: “I-I see . . .”
Majima: “. . . Haa, I was so exhausted trying to make this work. And it was all because I was swayed by hemorrhoids.”
Koyuki: “I was almost crying until a while ago . . . but it was just hemorrhoids . . .”
Youda: “What was the point of the strategy we brainstormed last night . . .”
Yuki: “Majima-san, Koyuki-chan, Youda-san . . . um . . . I-I’m so sorry!! I-I know! I’ll apologize to everyone with sushi! So . . . please forgive me! See, with the money in my wallet . . . huh? Huh?! I don’t have my wallet . . . Wh-Where did I drop it? Le-let me look for it for a second! Aaa~h, I can’t find it anywhere!!”
Majima: “Haa . . . Yuki-chan will always be Yuki-chan.”
Yuki’s Father: “You’re right . . . hahaha.”
Yuki: “Where did you gooo~ my wallet!!!!”
.
-END-
Masterlist
#Majima's such a different person when he's not dealing with yakuza problems#is it too early for me to be making Tachibana jokes in the year of our lord 2020#rgg online#rggo lore#rggo#rgg#Ryu ga Gotoku#yakuza#Yuki#Goro Majima#Majima Goro#Youda#Koyuki
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Starting Fresh - Tommy Shelby
Pairing: Tommy Shelby x reader
Requested: By @harringtoncastle, @sxperncturalimpala67, @sflowervol6 and 2 Anons.
Prompts: #1, #2, #12, #16 (with a twist), #33 and #39 from the angst-list.
Warnings/notes: This is a combination of five requests, saw an opportunity to get several done and took the chance😂 I’m a bit writer’s block and haven’t written for Peaky Blinders in a while now so I might be a bit rusty. Give it some love, let me know what you think xx
Wordcount: 2607
Summary: Grace is dead but she’s still the only one Tommy sees, and you can’t stop pretending you don’t notice him crying for her anymore.
“I hear him, Pol.” You whispered. “I hear him crying for her and I just… I can’t do it anymore.”
You swallowed the lump in your throat but it was to no use, the thickness returning just as quickly as Polly put a hand on your shoulder, the gesture being intended to comfort you but ending up doing the exact opposite.
The older woman took note of the way you flinched when she touched you, but left her hand right there, giving your shoulder a squeeze. “He’s blind.” She stated. “That boy wouldn’t know a good woman even if he got her handed to him on a silver platter.”
You sniffed into your handkerchief, shaking your head to yourself and staring into the table. “Grace was a good woman.” You whispered, a new set of tears springing up in your eyes.
“No.” She was quick to shoot you down, removing her hand from your shoulder and sinking into the chair next to you, taking your hands in hers and shaking them to get your attention.
Once your tearful eyes met hers, she gave you one of those tight-lipped, stern looks that could make any man tremble in their boots; but not you.
“She had him under her spell, but she wasn’t loyal.” She continued, shaking her head. “Not to him, not to our family. Not like you.”
She was right, you knew. No matter how convinced Tommy was that she was on his side, she would never be fully loyal to him or the rest of the Shelbys.
She would always be the daughter of a copper and she would always be privileged. She had lived a good life and had no idea what it was like to struggle to make ends meet in the slums, and would therefore never be able to fully support his fight against the law and his choice of living.
Like Polly said; not like you, who had been right there by their side since you were little.
You and Tommy were as close as peas in a pod growing up and you’d had something before he left for the war.
But when he returned, he wasn’t the same man that he had been before he left, taking distance from you for reasons unknown even though you still harbored feelings for him.
He got married to Grace, crushing your heart completely, and still… you remained at his beck and call, accepting his marriage proposal without a doubt in your mind when Grace had passed away, even though you obviously hadn’t been his first choice.
But it was all catching up to you now, having to live in the same house as the man you loved more than anything and having to watch him mourn the woman he loved, who obviously wasn’t you with the way he had been more or less ignoring you except for the times he wanted you to do something.
You swallowed once more, having to shake your head and tear your eyes away from Polly’s to protect yourself from the hurtful truth, looking back into the table. “Where her loyalties laid doesn’t change the fact that he still loves her though, does it?” You whispered, and listened as she sighed.
“No, I suppose it doesn’t.”
Silence fell over the two of you and before you got the chance to say anything else, the front door slammed open loudly, causing Polly to pull her hands back to her body and the both of you to whip your heads around to look toward the source of the disruption.
Your eyes instantly landed on Tommy, who had still to look at you as he busied himself with removing his cap and outer coat.
Only when he was finished doing so and turned around to hang his coat around the back of a chair did he notice the two of you sitting there, his face instantly falling into one of concern at the sight of trails of dried tears going down your cheeks.
While you quickly turned your face away from him, Polly stood up from her seat, giving your hand one last squeeze. “I’ll be in the back.” She told you, and then she walked out of the kitchen to give you some privacy without another word.
Tommy wasted no time in walking up to you, his steps slow and eyes analyzing you like he did everything and everyone else. “What’s going on?” He asked, and you simply cleared your throat, fiddling with the handkerchief.
“Nothing.”
“I can see you’re upset.” He replied without missing a beat, sinking down in the chair Polly had been sitting in just half a minute before and leaning forward, trying to catch your eye as you were avoiding his gaze to every cost.
“Why won’t you look at me, eh?” He questioned, and in the corner of your eye you could see him raising his eyebrows in a humorous manner, like he always did when he was trying to get you in a better mood.
When you still didn’t answer or look at him, he reached out for your hands, and only then did you turn your head in his direction, seeing that his face had now turned serious.
“Tell me what’s wrong.” He tried again, and you sucked in a shaky breath, having to clench your hands as hard as you possibly could in order to not break out crying right then and there at the feeling of his warm skin against yours.
“Do you love me?” You asked, swallowing to wet your dry throat and your stomach twisting uncomfortably with a mixture of hope, of what you wanted him to say, and fear, of what he was most likely to.
His eyebrows shot up at the unexpected question, his face once again turning up in a small, amused smile.
“We’re married.” He only pointed out, causing your chest to tighten with the growing anxiety.
“That doesn’t answer my question.” You whispered, trying again. “Do you love me?”
He took a moment, searching your eyes, most likely trying to figure out where all of this was coming from.
His face fell, telling you he probably figured it out, but he remained quiet about it, simply replying in a low tone: “Yes.”
You could see it in his eyes that he was telling the truth, but also that it wasn’t in the way you wanted, which instantly caused your heart to increase in speed behind your chest.
“But you’re not in love with me.” You acknowledged sadly, and the look on his face told you all you needed to know, your head shaking softly. “No, that’s what I thought…”
He averted his gaze from you and as he pulled his hand away from yours, you couldn’t hold the tears back any longer, the salty droplets toppling over the edge and rolling down your cheeks, the skin already stale, hot and itchy from the old tears.
“I hear you, Tommy.” You managed to get out through the thickness of your throat, your voice cracking. “I hear you crying for her, calling out for her in your sleep and I’ve realized- I’ve realized that I’ll never be her, so I think it’s about time we stop pretending like it.”
You sniffled and he instantly straightened up in his seat, shaking his head. “I care for you, (Y/N).”
He went to reach out for your hand again but you pulled it away, moving it under the table and out of his reach.
“I know you do, but I also know that you don’t care enough.” You answered. “Not like you do for her.”
His eyes closed, a frustrated sigh leaving his nose. “I just need a little more time.” He said, pulling his hand over his face.
“I’ve given you nothing but time. I’ve waited, and waited, and waited, and still… nothing. I’m starting to come to terms with the fact that we aren’t meant to be, and that maybe the man I’ve been waiting for all this time doesn’t even exist. We’re not kids anymore, Tommy.” You shook your head. “We’ve known each other since we were only teenagers and I want more than anything to say I’d rather have you in my life as a friend than not at all but I would be lying if I did. We’re well past that stage at this point and I wouldn’t be able to handle that.”
Hot tears were rolling freely down your cheeks and you were really struggling to keep yourself together, even more so when he leaned forward in his seat and reached a hand out for your face.
“Please, don’t cry.” He mumbled, using his thumb to attempt to wipe away your tears, but they just kept coming. “I know I’m a work in process but I am trying.”
Your breath shook at his touch, your tears now falling quicker than ever. “I know you are, but you don’t love me.” You whispered back. “You’re scared and vulnerable and I represent security and a crutch. But a crutch is something that you need, not something that you want. And I want to be with somebody who wants to be with me at all times, not just when they’re feeling afraid or lonely.”
You paused, raising your hand to his that was still pressed against your cheek, and looked sorrowfully into his eyes. “I- I don’t even know who you are anymore.” You whispered. “I just want the old Thomas back.”
He stared right back into your eyes for a moment, before he slowly pulled his hand away from you again, looking to the side.
“I’ll never be that me again.” He answered lowly after a moment of silence and if your hadn’t been heartbroken before, you sure were now that you got the fact verbally confirmed.
Still, you had expected it, so you sucked it up with another shaky breath, looking down into your lap where you were still anxiously fiddling with your handkerchief. “I know you won’t. And that’s why I’m choosing to walk away and spare us both from years of conflict and pain. I’m not going to sit by and watch you destroy yourself like this any longer.”
You sniffed, slowly pushing your chair back and standing up, putting the chair back to its rightful place before turning back around to look at him, where he was still sitting down and following your every move with his eyes.
You held on to your handkerchief with one of your hands and reached the other out for him, gently touching his cheek and watching as his face remained stoic.
But you only smiled, to your best ability with tears still rolling down your cheeks, stroking the cleanshaven skin.
“Find yourself, and then come back to me.” You whispered. “Okay?”
You didn’t get a response and you hadn’t expected to get one in the first place either, simply removing your hand from his face, giving him one last look, before turning on your heel without another word and heading out of the house to go to your mother’s place.
You grabbed your coat from the coathanger on the way out but didn’t stay to put it on, slipping your arms into the sleeves and pulling it up only when you got outside.
Wrapping your arms around yourself for comfort, you headed down the street with tears still rolling down your cheeks and not showing signs of stopping anytime soon.
Everything you wanted was for him to look at you like you looked at him, that he could search for you like you searched for him wherever you went.
You wished that he would love you like you loved him but you knew he didn’t want you, not the way you wanted him, not the way he wanted her, and you knew he would never be yours.
He had never really been, had he? Not really.
All you could do now, as you were walking away from him, was hope that someday, time would be right for the two of you and he would find you again.
And he did, sooner than you would’ve thought, when you woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of knocking on the front door of your mother’s house, finding Thomas standing out on the porch with water dripping off his clothes from the intense raining.
“You were the first one to show me what love could feel like.” He wasted no time in speaking the second you were revealed to him and you were standing in front of each other.
You could only wrap your arms around yourself to protect you from the chill and watch him with sad eyes, not knowing what to say.
“Thomas…” You just about managed to utter his name softly, and he shook his head, eyebrows shooting up and one of those smiles of his rising to his lips.
“You’re right.” He told you. “You never will be Grace.”
Your heart tugged in your chest and you had to swallow in order to not start crying again, but you said nothing, letting him speak as you knew he wouldn’t have come there if he didn’t have a point.
He took another step up the stairs, coming closer to you and reaching out for your hands.
You flinched when he touched you but he kept going, so you let him hold your hands, despite your better judgment.
“But that doesn’t make you any less special.” He continued, not once looking away from your eyes. “If it were you who died, I know for a fact that you would hunt my dreams, too, because I love you. I should’ve told you so, but I just-”
“You just what?” You asked as he trailed off and he tensed his jaw, looking to the side for a brief moment before turning his head back to you.
“When you asked me if I was in love with you and I didn’t answer, I didn’t know if I was ready to let her go, because I knew I would be if I answered that question.” He answered, and you frowned, shaking your head.
“What are you saying?” You asked, your mind confused.
But your heart knew exactly what he was saying, racing and thumping in your chest with excitement, and you got your suspicions confirmed the second his face and eyes softened, and his smooth voice reached your ears.
“I’m saying that I’m in love with you, (Y/N) (Y/L/N). And I’m ready to start over if you are. I won’t force you to stay but I’m hoping you will.”
One of his hands kept holding on to yours, while the other came up to brush a strand of your hair out of your face, that had fallen out of your bun.
When you left him the other day, you had made up your mind to not go back to him like you had so many times before, but one simple touch from him was enough to get the spinning wheels in your head to change direction.
You’d gotten a lot of time to think during the time you had been apart and you had come to the conclusion that at some point, you just had to let go of what you wished would have happened and live in and make the best of what was happening.
So you released a shaky breath, your eyelids fluttering as you blinked, and then you raised your hands to cradle his face like he was doing yours, watching as his eyes fell shut at the touch.
“You know I’d choose you over and over and over.” You whispered. “Without pause, without a doubt, in a heartbeat, I’d keep choosing you.”
His eyes came back open to look into yours, long and hard. And then he raised his other hand to your face, pulling you closer to him, and pressed his lips to yours gently.
A kiss to symbolize a fresh start, just what both of you needed.
Tagged: @lucillethings @thelonewolfdies@peakyhermione @fanficflaneuse @springsoulofengland @knrivera16
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#tommy shelby#tommy shelby imagine#tommy shelby x reader#thomas shelby#thomas shelby imagine#thomas shelby x reader#peaky blinder#peaky blinders#peaky blinders fanfic#peaky blinders imagine#peaky blinder imagine
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A Merry Upstead Christmas!
This one is for my lovely Chicago PD Secret Santa recipient @upsteadhc for the prompt: “any prompt from an angst or fluff list” so I figured what’s better than an Upstead pregnancy oneshot. A little bit of angst, a little bit of fluff, I hope you enjoy it! Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season!
*The prompts I’ve used are highlighted in bold.
For Better or For Worse, Even When Pregnant
Hailey glanced at their front from her spot on the couch in their dimly lit living room before checking the time on her phone for what felt like the hundredth time. At reading the numbers that read 1:28 AM plastered over her background that was a photo of her and Jay from their gender reveal party a few months ago, she sighed and took another sip from her now semi-cold tea. Fighting the urge to close her eyes with each passing moment, she’d been hoping for a voice mail, a quick text, something, anything that would give her enough relief so she could at least attempt to sleep, but there was nothing, and the wait was driving her crazy. Since their last call, there was an uncomfortable feeling eating at her insides, something in the pit of her stomach that had been growing for a few days, and she knew it wasn’t just her nerves growing from being only a week away from her due date. She’d gotten this same feeling a few times in the past few years, and she prayed to God that this time wasn’t like those other times.
Where the hell are you, Jay?
The unit had caught a big case a week ago: a dead pregnant girl that led the team to an international human and child trafficking ring smuggling young girls from all around the world into the States, forcing them to get pregnant, and selling the babies to God knows what kind of people. It was an understatement to say it was a rough case, even for Intelligence’s standards, and from the limited information Hailey knew about it from her lunch dates with Jay at the precinct, and the occasional calls and visits from Kim and Vanessa so Hailey wouldn’t actually lose her mind staying at home, it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park to solve.
On a regular night, Hailey wouldn’t worry about Jay staying late to go over evidence or to work on paperwork, especially while they were working a new case, but this time felt different. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was something about the way Jay had been especially quiet at home the past few days, those days that he had actually made it home before Hailey went to bed. It was almost as if he had been trying to avoid her, and successfully so. Then there were his texts: one word answers after taking forever to respond, that was if he responded. It wasn’t like she was expecting immediate responses or constant texting either. She knew that whenever a big case, especially something this big hit, it was all hands on deck with no room for distraction, but she at least expected a response, any response, when she asked if he’d be coming home for dinner, or if he was okay.
Now, having been partners with Jay for seven years, dated for two of those and married for one, Hailey could tell when a case, or someone, was irking him. So when he had started acting a little off the first time, she had given it to the combination of the caseload and having to work with a new partner now that she was officially on maternity leave, and done with desk duty, as per Voight and Platt’s orders. Jay’d been looking to find something to complain about his new partner from the day Voight had brought in Detective Aiden Thomas, a freshly minted detective from narcotics, as Hailey’s temporary replacement. Whether it was the way the young detective tabbed evidence files or the way he sipped his coffee during stakeouts, Jay found an excuse to text her, whining about being stuck with the new kid. So when the texts got more staggered and eventually stopped, Hailey had started getting suspicious and when she hit absolute radio silence the entire day that day, with no luck during the night either, Hailey knew it was time to call in back-up.
Around 10:00pm or so, Will had been the first person on her call list, not wanting to alert anyone on the team just yet if the older Halstead could reassure her enough to get that sleep she oh so craved. It also helped that she knew that Will was on call that night, him having shared his work schedule with Hailey since she was so close to her due date and who knew where Jay would be if she went into labor. Unlike his younger brother, Will had picked up Hailey’s call in two short rings. “Hailey? What’s up? Are you okay? Is it the baby?” He had asked in doctor mode.
“Yea, we’re good. I was calling to see if you heard anything from Jay today?”
“Jay? He was here this morning to talk to an injured suspect but that’s about it.”
“Did you realize anything off with him?”
“Not that I could tell. He and his new partner were in and out. I didn’t even see them leaving.” Hailey sighed in defeat at her brother-in-law’s response. She had really hoped he would say something that would ease her growing nerves. “Hey, is everything okay?”
“Yea, yea things are fine.” Hailey took a deep breath. “I just haven’t heard from him the whole day and he hasn’t come home yet and…” Her voice trailed off as her words died.
“I can-”
“No, that’s alright.” She cut him off, turning down his offer. “I don’t want him to worry if they are working.”
“You sure?”
“Yea, knowing Jay, he’ll think I’m in labor or something and freak out.” She attempted at a joke to hide her worry.
“You know, it would teach him not to ignore his pregnant wife.” That even earned a soft chuckle from Hailey.
“Thanks, Will. It’s not even that late, I’m sure it’s just me being paranoid.” She tried brushing it off. “You know how much I love staying home all day.”
“Don’t I know it?” Will went along even though he knew that for Hailey to be calling him, she must have a good reason to worry. “You and Jay are the worst people at enjoying doing nothing.”
“Yea, I’m ready to go back to work once your niece finally graces us with her presence.” She told him, her hands instinctively rubbing her 38, almost 39, week along belly at the thought of finally getting to meet her baby.
“I’d be careful wishing on that this close to your due date, Hailey. It might happen any day now.” He jokingly warned her, hoping he was providing some comfort with this distraction.
“I think it’s safe to say when it happens, you’ll be one of the first ones to know. I guess the first one to know if it happens during this call.” Hailey responded, though the only thing she could think of as silence fell was what she’d do if she were to go into labor now and Jay was nowhere to be found.
“Regardless, you know I’m here if you need me.” Will broke the silence.
“Thanks, Will. I’ll let you get back to work.”
“Alright, but seriously, call me if you need anything. I’ll be up all night.”
“I will. Thanks, again. Good luck with your shift.”
“Any time. Now stop worrying about that knucklehead and try to get some sleep.” Will jokingly ordered and with a mumble of agreement, Hailey hung up. Sleep… She really hoped she’d be able to get a little bit of it that night.
She’d given him about an hour after calling Will, called and texted a few times, but when those had gone unanswered once again, she’d moved to the next person on her list and called Kim, really hoping that they were really just working late and she wasn’t waking her up. “Hey, Hails, everything okay?” Like Will, Kim picked up the call in a few rings. It was almost as if everyone who knew Hailey was on call to answer her calls except for her husband.
“Hey, sorry I’m calling so late. Am I interrupting anything?”
“No, no, actually Kev just came back from a coffee run so I was taking a break.” Kim answered, followed by a yawn.
“Case wearing you down?”
“It’s a bad one. We found two of our suspects, who of course didn’t go down without a fight. One of them took a bullet to the knee so we are waiting for Med to release him into our custody when he’s done and the other’s downstairs.” Another yawn. “But looks like it’s gonna be a rough night. Well, I guess morning.”
“Everyone okay?” Hailey asked after hearing that their suspect had put up a fight. If he had gotten shot, it meant that he had started the shooting, and her heart started racing thinking all the worst case scenarios. Surely she would have been notified if something serious had happened to Jay, but with the way he had been so distant lately, maybe that had been it: he had gotten injured and was avoiding her calls.
“Everyone’s good, came out without a scratch.” Hailey released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Hey, is everything okay with you?” Kim asked upon hearing Hailey’s loud exhale of breath. “Oh my god are you in labor?”
“No, everything’s good here. No baby just yet.” She answered quickly, getting that out of the way. “I was calling to see if Jay’s around. I’ve tried calling him a few times but his phone kept going to voicemail, but I guess you guys are busy so I’ll let you go.”
“Ummm, Hails, Jay left a while ago.”
“Oh?” Kim’s answer took Hailey by surprise, an unpleasant one. She lost her train of thoughts and stuttered as she tried finding the words to ask her next question. “Did he- umm, did he say where he was going?”
“No, sorry. We all figured he was gonna go home and get some sleep. It’s been a rough day for him.”
“What happened? Is he okay?” It felt weird to not know that Jay’d had a rough day. It felt weird being the one to ask what was happening with him.
“One of the suspects we caught turned out to be ex-military. Someone Jay knew back in the day.” Kim told her. “I think Jay was hoping the lead would turn out to be bogus since his name came up a few days ago but…” The rest was obvious. Finding out an old buddy involved in such a disgusting case must have taken a toll on him, and understandably so. What Hailey couldn’t figure out was why he hadn’t talked to her about it, and the question hurt her more than she thought it would. “Jay must have gone on a drive or something. I’m sure he’s on his way home though.”
“Yea, yea, you’re right. I’ve probably just been losing my mind from having to stay home.” She tried laughing it off again, just like she had done it with Will, but this new found
“Oh, tell me about it! A few days is enough to drive you insane.” Kim commented, as bittersweet it was, remembering having to stay back during her short lived pregnancy so many years ago.
“Oh yea.” Hailey tried acting her usual chipper self but the fake smile plastered on her face failed to reach her voice. “Anyway, I should let you enjoy your break.”
“You sure everything’s okay?”
“Yea, yea, everything’s fine. I’m getting pretty tired anyway and you guys are busy.” She added a fake yawn to her sentence which made Kim yawn as well. “Thanks for the conversation.”
“You want one of us to drop by? I know Kevin’s about to head home for a quick nap and-”
“No, that’s fine.” Hailey cut her friend off before she could finish the sentence. “It’s pretty late.”
“Alright, well Adam, V and I are gonna be staying here tonight if you need anything. Just give us a call, alright?”
“Thanks, Kim. I really appreciate it. Enjoy your break and good luck!”
“Good night, Hails.” The line went dead, leaving Hailey to her thoughts, wondering where her husband was, worst case scenarios running through her head. The last time he had gone awol, he’d gotten kidnapped, shot and almost died. She couldn’t go through that again. Not now. Not when they were about to have it all. With tears in her eyes, Hailey swore he would never forgive Jay if he left them alone.
About another hour or so later, the clock almost hitting three in the morning, Hailey was just about ready to give up, go to bed. She was exhausted, achy, and really, all she wanted was to know that Jay was safe. They could deal with this, whatever it was, in the morning. Hell she didn't even care if it meant that he’d continue avoiding her, and she’d have to wobble to the precinct in her pajamas. That being said, she knew sleep was her enemy tonight and the moment she would decide to go to bed, the oh so tempting sleep that had been trying to pull her into dreamland would disappear the moment her head’d hit the pillow. Not that sleep was really an option with their daughter kicking up a storm in her belly either.
“It’s okay, munchkin.” Hailey rubbed the spot she kept feeling the kicks. “It’s all gonna be okay.” Realizing she had no tea left, she threw her blankets off and stood up to stretch. If she was going to stay up, she needed to keep herself otherwise occupied. “Let’s get mommy some tea and you some of those cookies you crave so much.”
Hailey was about to head to the kitchen to get herself another cup of tea and get a snack when the sound of the door opening startled her. Her head instinctively turned towards the source of the noise, and watched frozen as Jay’s silent silhouette moved in the foyer. She held her breath as her eyes followed his every move: The way he snuck into his own house, the way he took his jacket and shoes off as quietly as possible, thinking Hailey was already asleep, the way he tiptoed further into the dark house. Watching his arm reach for living room light switch, Hailey prepared herself to face their current situation, and when the lights turned on, bringing the couple face to face, a loud silence surrounded them. “Hails? Why are you awake? Everything okay? Is it the baby?” Jay listed his questions, alarmed.
“Yea, yea we are fine but I guess I should be the one asking you that.” Hailey shot back, needing him to know that what happened today was NOT okay. “What’s going on, Jay?”
“Nothing, nothing. I’m fine.” He gave her his staple bullshit of an answer as he walked further in and towards her in the living room. “Just a long day at work.”
“Well, I know for a fact you’re not “fine”, so wanna try again?” Hailey crossed her arms over her chest, her words stopping him on his tracks to walk over to greet her.
“I-” He started but seemed to be at a loss of words.
“Jay, I’m worried about you.” She cut him off at the realization that he needed a push before he’d really open up. “You haven’t picked up your phone or answered any of my texts and I had to find out from Kim that you had a rough day. What’s going on?”
“Hails, I’m just really tired and just want to go to sleep.” He was hiding behind an excuse, but at least it was an honest one, and Hailey considered that a good start.
“Alright, if that’s what you want, we can go to bed. I’m glad you’re safely home.” She told him with a flat yet soft tone. She didn’t want to discourage him from opening up, but his actions had terrified and hurt her, and she couldn’t just pretend that it was all fine now that he was home. “But we are gonna talk about this, Jay.” She added, letting him know he wasn’t off the hook. “What happened today, the radio silence… The last time that happened, I almost lost you and the thought of losing you, especially while I can’t even be out there,” The memory of what Angela Nelson put them through hitting her straight in the pregnancy hormones and feelings, she could feel tears welling in her eyes, but she wouldn’t cry. She refused to. “It, it terrified me,” She looked down her body in an attempt to avoid his eyes and blink away the tears as she protectively put both her hands on her bulging belly. “It terrified us.” She sighed. “We, we have to talk about it.”
“I can’t do anything right, can I?” Jay muttered more to himself than Hailey, disappointed in himself. He knew he was in the wrong. He knew he shouldn’t have pushed Hailey away, but this case, these past few days, then what happened in the morning… It had brought up so many painful memories, so much rage, so much fear that he simply hadn’t known where to start. “You must hate me for what I put you through today, huh?”
“I don’t hate you, Jay. I will never hate you.” Hailey’s voice softened. “But I hate that after all this, you’re still trying to lie to me.”
“Hails…”
“Yes, Jay?”
“This case has been terrifying.” He started to confess. “When we found that pregnant girl, the way her body was left behind, all I could think of was you and what I would do if I found you like that.” He was finally opening up. “Then we found out that one of the suspects is an old army buddy of mine and when we interviewed him today…” He shook his head, the memory of the interrogation room replaying in his mind and he collapsed on the couch in defeat. “He looked me in the eyes and said “You’d make pretty babies. Should consider changing careers.” with the smuggest smile, and Hailey, the things I wanted to do to him for bringing our kid into it… And then all my anger turned into this fear of failing you and Aislyn and, God, Hailey, it paralyzed me. I couldn’t think of anything else.”
“Jay,” She got it. She really did, but the silence and distance had hurt. “Holding everything in doesn’t help you know.” She told him as she walked over to take a seat next to him and put a supportive hand on his back. “Why didn’t you tell me what was happening?”
“I know I should have.” He looked at her with tear sheathed eyes, his greens tired and broken. “I mean I know I could have come to you. I trust you more than I ever trust myself, but I didn’t want to worry you especially with how close you are to your due date. It felt like by burdening you with my worries, I’d be failing you two before we even became parents.”
“I understand, Jay, but not knowing what was going on with you and having to call our friends and family only to find out from Kim that you’ve been having a rough time with this case worried me so much. I felt like an outsider and not your wife and best friend.” She took a deep breath, giving Jay some time to process her words. “Your worries and fears and rage will never be a burden on me, Jay. We said for better or for worse when we said I do. Being pregnant doesn’t change that.”
“God, I love you and I’m so damn sorry.” Jay pulled Hailey into his body and apologized with a broken voice upon realizing how much he had hurt her. The last thing he wanted to do had been to hurt her, but he realized trying to not be a burden was more hurtful to their partnership than anything. “I promise I’ll do better.”
“I know you will.” Hailey snuggled into his embrace before turning in his arms to be able to look him in the eyes again. “I love you, Jay.” She cupped his cheek in her one hand, and grabbed and guided his hand to rest over her belly with her other. “We love you. Unconditionally. Just remember that the next time you feel overwhelmed and I’m not there.” Feeling their daughter’s kicks under their palms, Jay leaned down to press a kiss on her lips; a kiss meant to seal his promise, to show his love, to give them both hope that they were stronger for facing their challenges.
Their last few days had really taken a toll on both of them, but with everything out in the open now, and promises of love and hope had been made, they knew they could tackle anything as long as they trusted in each other, even when they didn’t trust themselves.
So when they finally got into bed, tightly holding one another close, their daughter’s soft movements between them, they finally got the relieved rest they had been needing that day.
- @puckluck28
#cpd!ss2020#chicagopd#chicago pd#upstead#one chicago#hailey upton#jay halstead#haileyupton#jayhalstead#jayxhailey#haileyxjay
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Daddy’s Little Girl
MASTERLIST
This was an anon request of a fic where the reader is Rossi’s daughter and is dating Spencer. Oh man, I loved writing this cause it was so much fun writing not only sassy Rossi, but overly protective Rossi. I think the gif goes perfectly with this too. Enjoy!
Spencer Reid/Reader
Rating: G (fluff)
Word Count: 2,538
At the age of 60 years old, David Rossi was still very active in the BAU. After all he’d seen in his 40 years in the FBI, suspicious had become his middle name.
That’s how he knew—how he sensed—something was up.
He knew who to go to when he needed information, which is why he was heading down the hallway, opening up the door into the familiar lair of his good friend and colleague, Penelope Garcia.
“Garcia, I need you to do a deep dive.”
•
Your hands were full causing you to struggle to open the glass doors to the Behavioral Analysis Unit. You had almost gotten it open, but it had swung shut before you had even taken a step forward.
“Here, let me help you.”
A large hand appeared on the door handle, opening the door for you. You looked up into the handsome face of Dr. Spencer Reid and tried to refrain from blushing.
“Thank you, Dr. Reid,” you thanked, walking in ahead of him.
He went off in a different direction than you as you headed to your father’s office.
He greeted you just about as he usually did.
“What are you doing here?”
“Always great to see you too, dad,” you chuckled, holding up the take out cup in your left hand.
“I brought you coffee.”
“I can get coffee around here.”
David Rossi eyed you suspiciously. You may be his own flesh and blood but you weren’t an exception to his natural suspicious nature. In fact, it probably made you even more susceptible to it.
“Yes, but why torture yourself?”
You sat the cup on his desk.
“Besides, I brought you and the team some cupcakes and other little treats,” you motioned to the box, “New item I’m testing out.”
Your father might’ve been the best cook in your Italian family, but you had taken the title of best baker. You owned your own bakery in D.C. that specialized in Italian treats that you’d grown up loving yourself. There were recipes from both sides of your family, recipes that had been passed down for generations and recipes that you’d created yourself that were staple desserts in your shop. You also even sold homemade cupcakes and cakes.
He peered at the box.
“Prentiss said she wants to adopt you. Especially after the last box of sweets you brought in.”
“Hey, I’m always up for more than one mother.”
Your mother had been wonderful, but you had unfortunately lost her not long after your high school graduation. It had been nearly ten years since her passing and you still missed her daily. Growing closer to your father had really helped your grieving though; he was like your anchor in such hard times.
“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
“Dad, can’t I come visit you without you asking me a million questions?”
He chuckled, standing up to hug you.
“I’m just asking.”
“Well, I’m the owner of the bakery so I make my own hours. Meaning that I can come visit whenever I want to. Plus I’ve hired more help recently that allows me to spend time elsewhere other than the bakery. They’re doing fine without me there,” you smiled.
“Besides, you always said that when your passion feels like it’s taking too much out of you that’s when you need to take a step back. I was getting burned out and was losing motivation to bake. Now that I’m not constantly working at the bakery, I’m more inspired to create new things and bring them for your team to try.”
You shook the box gently in your hands at your last words as if to emphasize them.
“I’ll let you get back to work though. I’ll go distribute these and get out of your way.”
“I’ll see you for dinner though, right?” he asked.
“6 o’clock sharp, wouldn’t miss it.”
You smiled, turning and heading back into the bullpen. When you were sure he wasn’t looking, you left the cupcakes on a desk, taking a sharp left towards the exit.
You walked down the hall, where you knew a supplies closet was located. You slipped in, seeing him already there waiting for you, leaning against a stack of boxes filled with who knows what.
“Hey,” you smiled.
Spencer Reid looked up at you and broke into an award winning smile, crossing the short distance to you and taking your face into his hands to kiss you.
“Hey yourself,” he grinned after the kiss.
“I missed you. Things must’ve been busy cause you haven’t called.”
“I know, I’m sorry,” he frowned, “Every time I had a moment to call you, Dave- uh your dad was around.”
“Ah, I understand. You can’t get anything by him. You could pretend you were talking to the President and I’m sure he’d somehow figure out it’s me.”
Your hands roam his chest, tugging on his tie gently as you lean up to kiss him again.
You and Spencer had been dating for approximately four months. But, it was hard to do as you were hiding this small bit of information from your dad.
“I don’t like keeping this from him,” Spencer frowned, stroking your cheek with his thumb.
“I know. But I figured it would save the drama of him freaking out.”
“But I’ve worked with him for ten years now. You were practically still a baby when he came back to the BAU,” he chuckled.
You grimaced.
“That’s another reason why. He won’t hesitate to point out the age difference.”
“Oh come on, give him a little credit. I’m sure he’s not that bad,” Spencer mused.
“Are we still talking about the same David Rossi here?”
“He loves you Y/N and he obviously loves me,” he smirked.
“Who couldn’t love that bella faccia?” you grinned.
“I love it when you speak Italian to me,” he mumbled, kissing you again.
Needless to say, very few words were spoken for the next little while.
•
“So I got the information on that deep dive you wanted me to do, sir,” Garcia said, approaching Rossi.
“And?”
“And I don’t see why you can’t just talk to Y/N instead of me snooping on her,” Garcia huffed.
“Your findings, Garcia?”
She sighed and handed over her iPad, showing GPS findings she had on his daughter.
It confirmed what he had suspected the entire time.
•
You had gotten lost in Spencer’s kisses, losing time as well.
The two of you were so busy that you didn’t even hear the door open or anyone come in. It wasn’t until you heard the familiar voice of your father that you jerked away from Spencer.
“Huh. I came in here for more printer paper and found something else instead.”
“I just refilled the printer this morning,” Spencer said, looking confused.
“So you did,” Rossi said, his gaze hard on you.
“Dad, you weren’t in here for more office supplies,” you crossed your arms, your anger outweighing your previous embarrassment.
“Can I talk to you Y/N?” his eyes flicked to Spencer, “Alone, please.”
You followed him, feeling like a puppy with your tail between your legs. You glanced backwards at Spencer and mouthed your apology at him. He looked as nervous as you felt.
Rossi didn’t say a word until you both were in his office, the door shut firmly behind him.
“So how long have you been dating Reid?” he asked, sitting in his chair, locking his fingers together over his stomach as he looked up at you.
“Four months,” you winced, “How long have you known?”
“I’ve suspected it for a while, but my suspicions were confirmed when I had Garcia check the GPS history on your phone. It seemed to ping a lot at the kid’s apartment.”
“Dad! That’s an invasion of my privacy! You couldn’t have asked me?”
“You couldn’t have told me?” he shot back.
“I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d react like this.”
You crossed your arms, feeling very much defensive.
“Y/N, he’s 39. You’re 26.”
“So? I’m an adult, dad! Not a little kid. Besides you and mom were seven years apart.”
“Yes, but seven is different than thirteen years,” he pointed out, “You’re not sleeping with him are you?”
“Oh my god,” you groaned, “I can’t believe we’re talking about this.”
“Well I don’t want him getting you pregnant, Y/N,” he fought back.
“What part did you miss that I’m twenty-six? Besides you want grandchildren!”
“No grandkids until you’re 30,” he deadpanned.
“I can’t believe you’re acting like this, dad. I thought you loved Spencer!”
“I do. I just don’t love him dating my daughter.”
Your raised voices were attracting attention so you tried to swallow the rest of your angry words.
“I’ll see you tonight at dinner. Maybe by then you can stop treating me like a child.”
You spun on your heel, marching out of his office and the BAU.
•
Dinner was pretty miserable.
You had had time to cool down and now you just felt exhausted. You didn’t know what to say to your dad to change his mind. You really liked Spencer and you didn’t want something like your father’s approval to ruin your relationship. At the same time though, your father’s opinion meant a lot to you.
You had sat and picked at your salad and now you were barely touching the steak you’d ordered.
“Dad-”
“Y/N, I-”
You both chuckled, realizing that you’d both tried to talk at once.
“You first,” he said.
“I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I didn’t mean to have a tantrum like a little kid. That wasn’t very mature of me. Especially since you were at work and I’m sorry. I just really like Spencer and I didn’t and don’t know what to say to make you feel better about the situation.”
“No, you had every right to be mad,” he admitted, reaching across to take your hand.
You smiled at him. No matter how much you’d argued throughout your childhood and teenage years, even up until now, nothing would make you love him any less.
“It’s not that I don’t want you to date Spencer. I love the kid, really I do, I was just worried for you.”
“Worried?”
Your brows furrowed in confusion.
“Worried, why?”
“Well you may not remember much about it the first time since I retired from the FBI when you were only six. But I know you remember what it was like when I went back ten years later. I always ended up missing your extracurricular activities, I was hardly around, we didn’t spend much time together. It was all because of this job which can be extremely demanding.”
“I don’t follow,” you said, frowning at him.
“I was just worried that with you dating Spencer it would be the same thing, but just in a relationship. Him having to cancel dates or not be able to spend time with you. I know it hurt your mom a lot. That’s why we ended up getting divorced because it was such a strain on our relationship. It’s a dangerous job. It takes a toll on the person’s significant other, Y/N.”
“I know,” you nodded, appreciating his concern, “We’re taking things slow though.”
“Didn’t look so slow when I walked in on you two in the supply closet,” he muttered.
“Dad,” you groaned, exasperated.
“What I meant is that we’re taking time to get to know each other. I didn’t want to put pressure on him for a big commitment especially since I knew he has a grueling job. So far, it’s been working out. I’ve learned a lot about him and I really do like him. He’s really sweet, thoughtful and cares so much about others. In fact, he’s been wanting to tell you this whole time and it had him stressed out about keeping it secret from you.”
“Sounds like him,” Rossi chuckled, “I have to admit though. If you had to date anyone in this world, I’m glad it’s Spence.”
“Really?” you asked, your heart warming at the unexpected fatherly affection.
“Yes. He’s smart and he’s a gentleman. Plus he carries two guns, so I know you’re always safe with him.”
You beamed, taking a sip of your drink.
“You really mean that?”
“I do. And if it means anything to you, you have my approval.”
It meant the world to you.
•
You and your dad walked off the elevator in front of the BAU, laughing at a story you’d just told.
He told you he had to pick up a few files to take home with him and you said you were happy to join him, just so you could spend a little more time together.
You were shocked to see Spencer still at his desk, working.
“What are you doing here Spencer? It’s almost 8.”
He looked up, seeing you and Rossi and immediately hopped out of his seat.
“I thought I’d get a little work done. But uh, since you’re here do you think I could talk to you? Sir.”
With an amused sidelong glance at you, Rossi agreed.
You watched him walk up to his office with Spencer following behind him.
Of course, being the nosy person you were, you tiptoed after them, simply to listen from the other side of the doorway.
•
“So what did you want to talk about?” Rossi asked, offering Spencer a seat.
“Um well, I wanted to talk to you about Y/N.”
You had to groan. Of course Spencer would do something like this. But it was incredibly sweet, you couldn’t deny that.
“Oh? What about her?”
“Well I wanted to apologize for not telling you about us. She didn’t want to upset you.”
“Go on.”
“I just wanted to say, Rossi, that I have nothing but good intentions with her. I think I’m really falling for her and I would do anything to protect her.”
You smiled, hearing Spencer say that.
“I know you might not approve,” Spencer continued, “But I’ve done nothing but been true to my word and been a trustworthy person for the last ten years and I swear it when I say I’ll take care of her.”
“Spence,” Rossi tried to intervene his rambling, amused, “Spencer!”
Spencer quickly fell silent.
“I believe you. I already talked it out with Y/N at dinner earlier. I told her that if I had to give my little girl away to anyone, I’m glad it’s you.”
“Really?” Spencer smiled big.
You couldn’t wait any longer. You burst into the office with a matching smile on your face.
“Y/N! Were you listening to our conversation?” Rossi reprimanded.
“Yes, I was. I’m nosy. It’s the Italian in me.”
You gave him a hug, thanking him for being such a great dad before you went over and hugged Spencer’s side.
“Just remember no grandkids before 30.”
“Okay, Spence we have four years to fall madly in love, have a wonderful wedding, buy a house and then we’ll start family planning. Sounds good?”
You laugh, seeing your dad give you a wink and a thumbs up. Their replies came at the exact same time.
“Sounds good.”
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#spencer reid#Spencer Reid fic#spencer reid gifs#spencer reid fluff#spencer reid smut#dr spencer reid#dr spencer reid fic#dr spencer reid gifs#dr spencer reid smut#dr spencer reid fluff#david rossi#rossi#Criminal Minds#criminal minds gifs#criminal minds fic#criminal minds smut#criminal minds fluff#spencer reid x reader#spencer reid x y/n#spencer reid x you
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If I Never Met You: Chapter 39
(??? X Reader) Idol!AU, Manager!Reader - Revealed this chapter!
Genre: (PG13) Fluff
WC: 1.7k
Warnings: None
Series Masterlist
Chapter 38 | Chapter 39 | Chapter 40
A/N - Sorry for the extended wait on this one. I had more things to do than I expected when it came to arranging things for my shop and had other things I needed to take care of in my personal life. But yeah, the wait is finally over!
Also, apologies that it's a little shorter than my usual chapters. I'll do my best to make the next ones a bit longer, but I really didn't have anything else to add for this one that would flow with it.
You sat in the living room, Taehyung having helped you out of bed, feeling strangely nervous with the woman smiling at you from across the small table.
“How are you doing, dear?” she asked.
“I-I’m fine, eomeoni,” you replied.
“You’re not hurt or anything?” You could feel her eyes roaming over your body, trying to check for injuries.
“No. Only some minor bruises and scrapes, nothing serious,” you assured her. “They did an x-ray and everything so we know my legs are fine.”
“Good, I’m glad those brats didn’t cause you any extra trouble than they already have,” she said, standing up. “I’m assuming you haven’t eaten yet?”
“Oh. No, I guess I haven’t.”
She walked to your kitchen, opening up one of the bags that she had brought with her. “I brought plenty of side dishes, and I can cook up some rice and meat. Shouldn’t take too long to get some dinner ready.”
“Thank you,” you said with a soft smile.
“How long are you planning on staying?” Taehyung asked.
“Probably about two weeks, if that’s alright with Y/n,” she replied.
“Two weeks?” Tae repeated. “That’s a long time. You sure you don’t need to go back home sooner?”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were unhappy to see me.”
“No, that’s not it,” Tae said. “I am just surprised, is all. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“Because I wanted to surprise you,” she replied. “Is it too much for a mother to expect her son to be happy to see her?”
“I am happy!” Taehyung replied, shuffling quickly into the kitchen to hug his mother. He had her arms restrained in his grip, stopping her from getting out ingredients to cook with while he smothered her. “I missed you,” he singsonged, elongating the last syllable for emphasis. “I love you, eomma!” Tae loudly smacked a kiss to her cheek, making her laugh.
“Okay, okay,” she said, patting his arm in an effort to get him to loosen his grip. “Let me make you food.”
Tae made a whining noise. “You didn’t say it back.”
Mrs. Kim sighed, chuckling. “I love you too, Taehyung. Now can I have my arms back please?”
Tae smiled widely as he let her get back to what she was doing, and walked back into the living room to keep out of the way.
The whole exchange had you smiling, unable to not be endeared by the cute sight. But as she resumed getting ingredients ready you couldn’t help but ask, “Are you sure you want to stay for that long, eomeoni?”
“I’ll only stay that long if it’s okay with you, sweetheart,” she said. “I don’t want to overstay my welcome, but I figured it might be nice for you to have a mother’s touch around here while you’re healing. And of course the company.” She turned to you to smile sweetly.
While you couldn’t help but to feel nervous with the knowledge that the mother of the boy you’d been crushing on for longer than you’d like to admit was going to be staying with you that long, you also couldn’t deny that that did sound nice.
“If you want me to leave sooner, that’s perfectly okay,” Mrs. Kim said when you took a moment to respond. “I won’t be offended.”
“No, it’s fine,” you assured her. “You’re not wrong. It does get a bit lonely sometimes.”
You could practically hear the frown on Tae’s face, it was so deep. “I’m sorry, noona. I wish we could spend more time with you.”
“Stop apologizing,” you said. “You guys have a job to do. Don’t feel bad for something that you can’t help.”
As Mrs. Kim made dinner, which was smelling more and more delicious by the minute, she caught up with Taehyung. She told him stories about his siblings—how well his sister was doing in school, the crazy stories his brother had come up with recently—and other things he’d missed from home since the last time they saw each other.
Despite it not being long at all since the last time you saw your own mother, you couldn’t help but miss your family as you heard them talk. But more than that, you smiled as you listened, Mrs. Kim’s frequent looks in your direction as she talked a queue that she was okay with you being included in the conversation. You knew that Taehyung, as well as the other members, missed their families a lot so it was really nice to see him get to spend some time with his mother.
As if summoned by the presence of food, not one moment after Taehyung’s mother announced that dinner was ready was your door opened and the rest of the boys walked in.
“You said your mom is here?” Jimin asked Taehyung.
“Yup, she just finished making dinner,” he confirmed.
“Eomeoni!” Jin called brightly, walking into the kitchen. “Let me help you with that.” He took one of the plates of food from her to carry back to the table.
“Thank you, Seokjin,” she said. “I was just about to ask Taehyung to call you guys over to eat. Good timing.”
The others all greeted her as they helped set up the table before sitting down to eat.
Dinner was, just as you assumed by the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen, really delicious. Taehyung particularly looked incredibly happy to be eating his mother’s cooking again, and the table was filled with praise from everyone about how amazing it was.
“I don’t know what it is, but there’s just something about a mother’s cooking,” Hoseok said as he cleaned the last bits of rice from his bowl. “So delicious.”
“You can say that again,” Namjoon agreed. “I don’t think I’ve felt this satisfied after a meal since the last time noona cooked for us.”
Your brows furrowed, going over the interaction in your head again. “I’m not a mother, though. If that’s the standard you’re talking about, then why my cooking...?”
“We already covered this, noona,” Jungkook said. “You and Sejin-hyung are our parents.”
You rolled your eyes.
“Not to mention, you’re surprisingly good at making Korean food,” Jin added. “Even better than me, really.”
“Well thank you, but I’m sure that you can agree I am absolutely nowhere near this level,” you said. “Thank you so much for dinner, eomeoni. It was really delicious.”
“You’re all very welcome,” Mrs. Kim responded, starting to stack dishes.
“Leave that to me,” Taehyung said, taking them from her hands and taking them into the kitchen. “Those who cook don’t do the dishes.”
“Well, that’s new,” his mom said, sounding surprised. “Thank you, Taehyung.”
After Taehyung and Jimin did the dishes together, you ushered everyone back to their own house. They had a bunch of fan sign events the next few days, so you didn’t want them staying up too late when they needed all the energy they could get.
Before leaving, Namjoon realized Tae’s mother would need to know how to get you in and out of your chair if she were to be helping you, so he helped show her how to do it properly, and someone else had thought to bring some blankets and pillows for her as well while you were busy with that.
Once that was all done and everyone else left, you couldn’t help but feel nervous with the fact that it was just the two of you left in your house. You had yet to be alone with her, and while you weren’t entirely sure why you felt nervous you had an inkling it had something to do with the fact that you had more than platonic feelings toward her son.
She quickly eased those nerves when she broke the silence between you. “I haven’t gotten a chance to thank you yet.”
You looked at her curiously. “Thank me? For what?”
“For what you did for my son,” she clarified. “He’s been telling me so much about you ever since you became their manager, so I already knew you were a good person. But not everyone would have done what you did that day.”
The compliment in that statement left you feeling shy. “It was really nothing,” you said, voice quiet. “Part of my job is to make sure nothing happens to them. That they’re safe.”
Mrs. Kim hummed. “That may be true, but I’m sure that doesn’t usually include jumping in the middle of danger for them. You’re not a security guard. And even then, most people wouldn’t go that far. The natural reaction to something like that is to either freeze from shock, or protect yourself. And there’s no shame in that. But it really speaks volumes about who you are as a person that you only considered his well-being in a split moment like that.”
You had no idea what you could say to that. You understood what she was saying, and it was true that your own personal safety wasn’t even in the smallest corner of your mind until you were already hurt. But how do you take a compliment, a praise, like that casually?
When you stayed silent, she reached out to place her hand on top of where yours rested in your lap. “Taehyung has had nothing but great things to say about you ever since you met. That boy could just look at someone and then suddenly they’re friends. But even then, I can tell who he really considers important, who he is closest to. You’re definitely one of those people for him. And I’m really glad to know that his group has you, seeing the testament to what you’re willing to do for them. But at the same time, I do hope you don’t forget to take care of yourself and your own safety first from now on, too. Okay?”
Still feeling as though your vocal chords suddenly froze up and stopped working, the only thing you could do was nod in response.
Taehyung’s mother smiled brightly—that smile was most definitely genetic—at your confirmation that you’d be more careful, patting your hand before helping you get into bed for the night.
Series Masterlist
Chapter 38 | Chapter 39 | Chapter 40
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#BTS fanfic#BTS x reader#thebtswritersclub#btswriterscollective#thebtsficarchive#If I Never Met You#IINMY#Manager!reader#Idol!au#v#taehyung#taehyung x reader#v x reader
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Love Lockdown - Part 2
Big Girl With a Brave Face
Pairing: Chris Evans x Reader
Summary: You brace yourself for your FaceTime with Chris.
Warnings: Angst, Pandemic backdrop, Profanity
Notes: More heart strumming feels! Read the previous part! Gonna try and put these up on Monday’s starting next week 8/10, along with In My Feelings Monday™, when my asks will be open for all your romantic musings! Let’s get sweet and sappy y’all! I know you wanna 🥰
The sun shines down, a crisp wind whisking by you every so often; applause for your hard work in the garden. You found a circadian rhythm. Grasp, pull, dump. Grasp, pull, dump. It afforded you an opportunity to get lost in thought… and memory.
You just don’t get it, do you?
Baby, I want to!
Why didn’t you say anything?
Would it have mattered?
I think we can both agree we need the space…
We need to talk…
I love you.
I love you too.
“Are you okay Aunty?” Iris’ innocent voice drifts into your trance but doesn’t break it completely.
You absentmindedly respond. “Uh huh. Why do you ask?”
“Probably ‘cos you're pulling at those weeds so ferociously I think you might’ve got a few good plants,” Ines answers for her younger sister, the teenage ‘tude snapping you to reality.
You assess your handiwork and sure enough, in your pile of weeds, some good plants lie there with them, undeservedly plucked from the earth. “Oh, my bad,” you sheepishly apologize.
“It’s okay. The only difference between a weed and a flower is judgment. Here,” Ines shuffles over to your spot.
“Ines, you’re wise beyond your years, you know that?” You stand up, placing your palms on your lower back, arching and stretching in a moment of respite. Looking over your nieces tending to the greenery you botched, their youthful vigor bring a genuine smile to your face. Those have been few and far in between these days.
“I know, right? Could you tell my mom for me?” she kids, making you laugh. “It couldn’t have been that long since it was you and Mama doing this,” Ines smirks at you briefly before refocusing on rerooting.
You chuckle, “Ha! Feels like a lifetime ago. But, yeah, it really hasn’t been that long. Guess I just kinda lost touch.”
“Do you miss it? Do you miss being here?” Iris asks.
“Umm… honestly?” The both of them look up at you, eyes wide and expectant. “I thought I didn’t. L.A. can be blinding in that way. But now that I’m here, I feel a little more… myself. Not to mention that I’ve missed you girls soo much! C’mere!”
A niece under each arm, hugging your middle tightly, you can feel how much they’ve missed you as well. You want to be a better aunt to them. Your love for your family is as expansive as the family farm you marvel at in front of you. Acres of green going beyond the quaint garden near the house, with the barn just behind the rustic office and rec building where the farmers are currently gathered for lunch just a few feet away. But your feelings were much like half your sister’s employees as of late; they didn’t show, especially in crisis.
Through one of the windows, you catch sight of a familiar profile; hand to his temple pressing deep into his smooth, mahogany skin, thick, dark brows knitted together in concentration, plump lips puckered as he writes furiously, occasionally taking a bite of his sandwich. He must feel your eyes because he looks up to meet them, breaking focus from his working lunch. The hand that was to his temple is now raised for a tentative wave, just as the corner of his mouth is raised for a beautiful, sweet smile.
Your shoulders tense, your wave is curt, and your smile is barely there. You avert your eyes not wanting to see the effect of your abrupt actions.
“I know Keith is glad you’re back, too.” You look down to see Iris looking up at you, her 10 year old face contorted into her best suggestive look.
Ines rolls her eyes at her sister’s antics, “Oh, stop it! She’s already got the most perfect, dreamy boyfriend, remember?”
“Well, I’ve never met him. Have you? How do we know if he’s even real?”
“She’s got a point. Why haven’t we met him yet?”
“If he thinks he's too good to come down south, meet your family, let me tell you something Aunty, that’s not the kind of man you should be with.”
“I don’t think Aunty had ‘take dating advice from a child’ on her quarantine to-do list. Maybe he’s just busy; he is a movie star— correction— a superhero! Superhero equals stable income, stable income means husband material. Simple math.”
“Well, Keith has a stable and would never be too busy for her!”
“Keith runs a stable… a horse stable. Not exactly a selling point, right Aunty?”
“Aunty, tell her she’s wrong!”
The girls get to bickering and you wipe your forehead, not too sure if it’s from the heat or the interrogation you’re enduring. You check your watch. 1:39 pm.
“Shit!” Your exclamation silences your nieces as they whip their heads towards you. “Sorry ladies,” you offer an apologetic smile for the obscenity. “I, uh, gotta get ready for a call. Let’s turn it in early, yeah?” They race in the house without a second thought, and you trail behind them.
You remove your shoes in the mud room, then stalk down the hall toward the main part of the house. You wave to your sister as you pass her home office where she’s pacing, busy on the phone, swamped in paperwork. She waves you over with a confused face and shrugs as she sees her girls buzzing around.
You go to lean in the door jamb of her office as she asks, “What brings y’all inside so early? Wasn’t expecting you to be back in for another couple hours.”
“I have that FaceTime call at 2 I gotta get ready for, remember?”
“Right, right… remind me again. It’s for a writing gig?” she asks, sifting through her mountain of papers, as distracted as she was this morning when you told her your afternoon plans.
“Uh, no. It’s um, with… Chris,” your voice trails off with each word.
Your sister whips her head around, interest now piqued. “Really? That’s good, right?”
You shrug and sigh, indifference in your expression, “It’s, y'know… whatever, Mina.”
Wilhelmina furrows her brows, “What’s wrong?” Before you could contemplate an excuse, she puts a finger up to you, “Yes, thank you, I’m trying to get in touch with…” she answers to the person on the other line.
Your watch buzzes with your 15 minute reminder for your FaceTime with Chris. “I gotta go,” you tell your sister, before turning to head upstairs. The ascension to the second level feels like a death march, the impending doom of your relationship finally setting in. Each step feels increasingly weighted. Once at the top of the staircase, you pinch the bridge of your nose as if that will alleviate your anxieties.
“Let’s get you ready,” Wilhelmina’s maternal voice drifts to you as she comes up the stairs, melting your nerves a little. She shoots you a pity smile before ushering you into your guest room, where you make a B-line for the bathroom.
You take your time and delicately wash away the grime and sweat from your face. It’s like a Neutrogena commercial, the way you come up from the sink, staring yourself in the mirror. You take note of the creases in your forehead caused by your tense brows, the pain in your eyes, your overall sullen expression. And this feeling. This feeling is like being suspended mid-air, knowing the dreadful drop was any minute now.
You know very well who is in control of the drop. You just don’t know when you gave up that control to him. The only thing you can do now is go with grace. In an effort to have some sense of control, you did what anyone in your situation would do: You turned to Google.
“what to do when your boyfriend is about to break up with you” is what you typed into the search engine this morning. You felt like a teenager. Young and dumb. Like you’d never been in a relationship before. Like you’d never been broken up with before. None of this is new. And yet, it is. You hadn’t been here before. You hadn’t known this feeling before.
The feeling of knowing the one to make the dreadful drop happen is the same one that you love more than you knew was even possible, and damn did it hurt like hell. But could it have hurt more than knowing you’re the one that brought him to this point? Especially when you know these deep feelings are requited? The love is requited.
Who knows. You just file these feelings away for later in the hopes that it’ll inspire your pen. Right now it’s time to put on a brave face. You’ve gotten so good at it.
“So, what brought this on?” Wilhelmina inquiries after a few minutes of you lollygagging in front of the bathroom mirror.
“Oh, umm… well, he called last night. It was the first time we talked since—”
“You got here.”
“Yeah, but who’s counting,” your deadpan earns you a disapproving look from your sister. You’ve learned to ignore it. You check the time. 5 til. “Ugh, I don’t have time to pretty myself up. Breakups are ugly anyways; guess I’ll have to be, too,” you joke, leaving Whilelmina bewildered.
“Wait, what? You’re dumping him? I know it’s tough, trust me, I get it, but—”
“No... he’s gonna dump me,” you correct her.
“What would make you think that?”
“I don’t know, maybe cos he said ‘we need to talk… for real’,” you mock his deep voice; it’s how you read his text last night in your head, “and we all know what that means…”
“Hold up, it doesn’t necessarily mean that!”
“C’mon Mina! It’s textbook breakup prep!”
“Maybe for a teenager, but he’s a grown ass man. If he says he wants to talk, he probably just wants to talk.”
“Yeah, about dumping you…” Ines mumbles under her breath from the doorway. Wilhelmina stares daggers into her mouthy daughter, and she shrinks away to mind her business.
You continue to get ready, mainly focusing on laying your edges before finding a new shirt. “So, why would he suggest we quarantine separately knowing we had issues we were working on?” you debate your sister.
“Because like he said: you need some space. Totally normal for maintaining a healthy relationship.”
“Is it though? Cos when I say “I need space”, I’m thinking about making an exit. And that’s on a good, non-pandemic day. Hell, our issues alone would make me bow out. Now you add this stressful shit on top?”
“Then why haven’t you?”
Her simple question makes you stop in tracks, your brave face wavering for just a moment. “B-Because— it doesn’t matter. He’s ending things with me, in,” you check the time, “3 minutes. And I don’t blame him! I’ve been a mess lately! An emotional wreck lately! You should’ve heard me last night, it was gross!”
Wilhelmina starts to chuckle at your dramatics, but you can tell she’s laughing at you, not with you. “What’s so funny?”
“Sweetheart, you’d have to show emotions to be an emotional wreck. I think you skipped a few steps.”
“Whatever,” you roll your eyes as you peel off your sweaty shirt and toss it in the laundry basket. You take your wash cloth to dab your underarms before putting on a nicer top. A proper shower will have to wait til later.
“I’ll have you know that I do, in fact, have emotions. I just channel them into my writing, to avoid sapping them all over any- and everyone… like some people I know,” you quirk your brow and tilt your head in Wilhelmina‘s direction.
“Girl, whatever! From what you told me, Chris is as much a romantic as I am, maybe even more so. You don’t hate it as much as you let on. Just admit it.”
You slowly turn away from Wilhelmina to primp yourself in the full length mirror. She follows you, glaring at you in hopes she will break you down. You decide to throw her a bone.
“Last night, I told him how we should’ve been together right now. There was even a quiver in my voice because I do really, really miss him. It was all so, so...” Your sister’s hands are clutching her chest, eyes glazed like she was watching a romcom. She’d finally gotten through to you. “… so pathetic.” Or so she’d thought. The sound of frustration that came from her amused you greatly, your eyes now glazed from crying of laughter.
“See, that’s what the hell I'm talking about! If he brings emotion— vulnerability— out of you, why do you resist? He’s worth keeping around, sis. I would think you: an artist, a writer for god’s sakes, would find some value in that.”
You stare straight ahead, fixing imaginary stray curls in your hair, and avoiding eye contact with Wilhelmina. She awaits your response, brows raised, neck craned toward you, hands below her chest with palms up, as if to say ‘Sooo...???’. You wondered how long she’d stay like that before you said something. “Are you done?”
Your sister sighs, and it’s quickly followed by ringing from your laptop. You both look in its direction, then at each other. The moment you’d been bracing for all day is here. You hesitantly move towards the chair at your desk where your laptop is sat.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Wilhelmina says before excusing herself. You almost didn’t want her to go. But you’ve got to be a big girl with a brave face.
“One last thing?” you twist in your chair to look at her in your doorway, “I know who made you believe that big girls don’t cry, but it’s bullshit. It’s good to feel. It’s okay to show it sometimes, too. Especially with the ones who showed and proved they won’t judge you for it,” she motions to your still ringing computer before closing your door.
You turn back to your desk, swallowing thickly. Here goes. You answer the call and Chris’ smiling face fills your screen. That beautiful face that’s worth doing right by.
“Hey baby! For a second there, I thought you wouldn’t answer,” he nervously chuckles.
You smile at him but it doesn’t reach your eyes. He senses your apprehension. Even through a screen, he’s perceptive. Chris starts to small talk, rambling about work and the weather, intending to ease your guard down before getting to the tough stuff. But it’s absolutely painful pretending to be strangers.
“Chris?”
“Yes honey?”
“I don’t wanna do this with you.”
Part 3
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NEW LIFE IN LUCY
July 20, 1952
By WILL JONES, Minneapolis Tribune Staff Writer
WITH HER SECOND BABY on the way and her second career in its peak, Lucille Ball is busy trying to make the facts of real life jibe with the facts of TV life.
The complications are going to affect all fans of the nation's No. 1 TV star - particularly those in Minneapolis.
Her pregnancy may delay the return of her TV program, "I Love Lucy," to the air this fall, for one thing.
And it has already meant, for sure, that she won't be in Minneapolis for the Aquatennial. (1)
"I Love Lucy," now off the air for the summer, is supposed to resume Sept. 8. Miss Ball and her husband and co-star, Desi Arnaz, are trying to stall the starting date until sometime in October. (2)
Exactly what good that will do when her baby isn't due until January is one of those facts of TV life that will take some explaining. Miss Ball explained a few things to me in Hollywood last week, and I'll try to pass them long.
Movie studios have been known to speed up shooting schedules of single pictures to accommodate motherhood. But Miss Ball can't shoot 39 films (3) in a hurry, before her condition begins to show. It already shows.
BY THE TIME I had my talk with Miss Ball, the full Impact of the news had already hit her and her organization; They already had decided - with kibitzing from the Columbia Broadcasting System, the sponsor, and other interested parties - one big point:
Miss Ball's unborn child, come winter, is going to have to be part of the act.
They were in the midst of working out some of the details. Scripts for all of next season's "I Love Lucy" programs already had been outlined when Miss Ball discovered her condition. The outlines have been set aside, and the writers have been told to think up some funny new slapstick routines for an enceinte heroine.
Fortunately, "I Love Lucy" is a Mr.-and-Mrs. program. Its family comedy, while often outlandish, has been accepted by its fans as still being pretty true-to-life.
There should be enough funny situations involving expectant couples to keep the subject from getting tiresome.
IMPENDING PARENTHOOD isn't a new subject for comedy, but there has been little of it on TV, there hasn't been much on radio and it's been rare in the movies.
And there's never been an expectant mother quite like Miss Ball.
Even if it were possible to hide her condition - other actresses have accomplished it with the aid of special costuming, trick lighting and such devices as keeping partially hidden behind furniture and bushes - Miss Ball would be against it.
"If I turned up one week suddenly standing still behind some camouflage, it wouldn't be me," she said. "It'd be a fraud. I've got to move around."
Miss Ball had just come from a visit to her doctor when I saw her at her orange ranch in the San Fernando valley, about an hour's drive from Hollywood. (4) She had been discussing her condition with CBS executives, as well as with her doctor, on the same visit to town.
"The doctor told me the baby's going to come a little earlier than we expected," she said. "He says about Jan. 15. (5) He also told me I could work as long as I feel all right.
"At first we thought I might have to quit work in October. Now I don't know."
WORKING BEFORE the cameras while with child isn't entirely a new experience for Miss Ball. She was pregnant when she made the "I Love Lucy" audition film that won her and Arnaz their present contract with the network and sponsor.
But her year-old daughter, Lucie Desiree, was born before she had to go on the air with the new series.
Five of this fall's programs are already filmed. ("I Love Lucy" normally is shot five weeks before it goes on the air, so Miss Ball and Arnaz were five programs ahead before they started their summer vacation.) (6) They plan to resume shooting in a week or so. That will put them 10 programs ahead by Sept. 8, the date they're scheduled to return.
If they get to postpone the program a month they'll have a 14-week backlog of films by the time it starts. Some of the best of last year's programs will be rerun during the weeks Miss Ball won't be able to work. (7) Just how much of a part the baby will play in "I Love Lucy" after it arrives is matter that hasn't been decided.
"I ASKED THAT QUESTION down at CBS this afternoon, and all I got was blank stares," said Miss Ball.
"I'm sure we won't have a situation involving the baby every week, though."
"You could have a funny baby sitter for a character," put in a her publicity man, Ken Morgan who also is her brother-in-law. "You could build a very funny program around a funny baby sitter."
"I'm sure we could," said Miss Ball. She glared at him with mock ferocity: "And what do I do while the baby sitter is being funny?"
Arnaz, a real-life rumba bandleader, plays a rumba bandleader named Ricky Ricardo on "I Love Lucy." The plots usually Involve the wacky things that happen when his wife, Lucy, tries too hard to help him get ahead.
Although the names have been changed, and the Amazes' private life isn't anything like the Ricardos'. TV life, followers still associate the performers closely with the roles.
As long as they're forced to bring one child Into their TV world, I wondered If they might not try to get their TV life in line with their private life.
"That's another question I asked at CBS this afternoon," said Miss Ball. "They didn't have an answer for that, either, "Everybody's been on vacation. We haven't even had a chance to sit down and talk these things over yet."
THEY'VE TALKED over a few things, of course. Miss Ball showed me an "I Love Lucy" baby - a doll set with clothes, feeding equipment, soap, gadgets, etc. - that has been put together by a toy manufacturer in anticipation of the event. The set includes a letter about the baby from Lucy and Ricky. (8)
"It blows bubbles, wets its pants, everything," said Miss Ball proudly. She also played a record, "There's a Brand New Baby at Our House." ("...she's changed our happy house to a home..."), sung by Desi. He wrote the music when Lucie was born. A friend, Eddie Maxwell, wrote the words. (9)
Desi hasn't made any records for a long time, so nothing much happened with the tune. The recording companies are after him again since the success of "I Love Lucy," however, and "Brand New Baby" may be his first new record. (10)
The sudden success of "I Love Lucy" - in one season, it topped Arthur Godfrey, Milton Berle and Red Skelton (11) in all popularity ratings - has left the Amazes amazed.
I was sitting in Morgan's office when he got the news that "Lucy" had hit a rating of 70 - an unheard-of-high figure in one of the TV popularity-rating surveys.
Arnaz came into the office at that moment Morgan told him the news.
ARNAZ LOOKED WORRIED. "You're kidding," he said.
"That crazy Cuban is scared," confided Morgan after Arnaz had left the office. "He doesn't know what to make of all this. He thinks of all those people tuning in, and he worries."
In 20 years as a movie star, Miss Ball never had the acclaim she's had in one year on television.
"People stop me on the street and talk to me now," she said. "That never happened when I was in movies. I was in Ohrbach's this afternoon, and I had to ride up and down four times In the elevator just listening to people tell me about the show.
"The only time people In the street bothered to talk to me before was when I made ‘The Big Street.' (12) But It was nothing like what's happened In the past year. And Desi and I are the two most grateful people in the world.
"You have no Idea what It's meant to us. We're real hams, you know."
BESIDES GLORY, "I Love Lucy" also has meant shorter hours and a happy home life for Mr. and Mrs. Arnaz. Before TV, Lucille had to get up at 5:30 or 6 every morning to go to the studio. She didn't get home until 7 or 7:30 p.m. and she was exhausted. If Desi wasn't on the road with his band, she had to go to a nightclub to be with him In the evening.
Their marriage almost broke up because of the schedule. Lucille once filed for divorce, but never followed through. (13) In the movies, Miss Ball had to work five or six long days a week. Now she puts in four eight-hour days.
Arnaz, who Is president of their company, Desilu Productions, has to attend to production and business matters in addition to his acting. That usually means a 10- or 12-hour day for him. But he, too, insists on a three-day week-end.
"We don't think about the show we don't even mention it from Friday night to Tuesday morning," said Miss Ball. "They wanted me to look at the scripts a week ahead, so they'd have more time to work on the clothes. I design all my own. But I wouldn't even do that, for fear I'd start worrying about next week's show over the week-end."
AS VICE PRESIDENT of Desilu productions, Miss Ball gets a chair on the set with "Veep" printed on back. Occasionally she signs some papers. "But may I say that I don't know what I'm looking at?" she said.
Desilu now is producing the TV version of "Our Miss Brooks," starring Eve Arden, which will go on the air this fall. (14) As executive producer, Arnaz has had to be on hand during much of the "Miss Brooks" filming this summer.
"But all I hafta do," said Miss Ball, "is go over and pat Brooksie on the shoulder now and then and ask her where she got those clothes. She comes in with some wonderful things."
"Our Miss Brooks" is being filmed exactly the same way as "I Love Lucy." It's a combination of movies, TV and summer stock, a system worked out by Desilu.
The Amazes are especially proud of it because, before they started, everybody told them it wouldn't work. Nobody figured a couple of actors could run a complex producing organization.
They film their shows in an independent movie studio that was all but abandoned before they moved in. (15) Now the place is bustling with other TV people, including Burns and Allen, who are copying the Desilu system.
BLEACHER SEATS for 300 people were built into one side of the sound stage. Part of one wall was cut out to make a street entrance for the audience. A small sign, “Desilu Playhouse," hung on a wrought-iron support outside, adds to the summer-stock atmosphere.
The schedule goes roughly like this: Tuesday is devoted to learning the script, which al ways runs more than 40 pages. Miss. Ball sketches her clothes and gives the designs to the dressmaker.
There are rehearsals Wednesday. The program is rehearsed straight through, like a play. Thursday there's a full dress rehearsal, with cameras and lights. There's a bull session afterwards, with the writers present, to weed out the weak spots.
When the program started audiences were invited to the dress rehearsals, but Lucille and Desi found they got all worked up and gave better performances Thursday night than they did on Friday, when the program is actually filmed.
NOW THEY RELY on the laughs of the crew on Thursday nights to tell them what to keep in and what to change.
Three movie cameras, moving in and out among the actors like TV cameras, record the Friday night performance. The program is played straight through, the only stops being for costume changes. The audience is allowed to whoop it up as much as it wants. Audience laughter is recorded and used in the final soundtrack.
The photographer, Karl Freund, a roly-poly man with a thick German accent, was all but retired when Miss Ball asked trim to film their show. She liked the way he had photographed her at MGM. ("We fought like cats and dogs, but when it came off on the screen, I never looked lovelier.")
He spent a week in New York studying TV methods, decided everybody there was all wet, and dreamed up his own system. (Freund was the first Hollywood cameraman ever to move a camera during a scene, mounting it on a rubber-tired arrangement known as a dolly. Without his invention "I Love Lucy" now would take two or three times as long to shoot. Many inventions now incorporated in Hollywood studio cameras are his, too.)
ARNAZ' STUDIO CHAIR has "Prez" painted on back. (When Freund wants him, however, he Just yells for "Young man with old face!" Arnaz' black hair is shot with gray that doesn't show on TV.)
William Frawley and Vivian Vance, the character actors who play the couple next door, have special chairs, too. Frawley's is labeled "William Frawley, Boy Actor." Miss Vance's label is "Vivian Vance, Girl Actress." Their work is admired so much around Desilu that they got a raise before they ever asked for it.
"I don't know how long they're signed up for," said Miss Ball, "but by God if it isn't for a long time, I'll have to speak to Desi." There's a sign in the Desilu rehearsal hall: "anyone that enjoys work can have a hell of a good time in this institution." Everybody, apparently, does.
There's a board with names of the cast members painted on it. There are gold stars stuck behind the names. Anybody who gets off a good crack, goofs, or otherwise relieves the tension that, comes with the hard work gets a gold star.
ON SHOW NIGHTS, Arnaz, cook and gourmet, serves everybody in the crew a big dinner in the rehearsal hall. The Amazes have a bungalow on the lot in which they live during the day. The living room is decorated with water colors of and oil paintings by Miss Ball, who goes in for landscapes when she paints. (16)
There's also a large dressing room and a bright yellow kitchen. They stayed there over night during Los Angeles' floods a few months ago, (17) but otherwise they go home to the ranch every night.
"I hate to get up in the morning in the same place I'm going to work all day," said Miss Ball.
An extra project is under way at the Desilu studios this summer. The TV show has caused so much talk that people in non-TV areas have demanded to see what all the conversation is about.
Three of the best "Lucy" programs from last season have been selected for showing in theaters in areas not yet reached by TV. They're being tied together with a story about a couple who have trouble getting tickets to the program. (18) (That's a real problem. Handling tickets got to be such a headache that Desilu turned over ticket distribution to CBS. Now the people at Desilu often can't get their friends in.)
The "I Love Lucy" feature movie is being put together by Ed Sedgwick, a director who used to make some of Miss Ball's movie comedies. I've never considered Lucille a comedienne." Sedgwick told me. "She's a comic. There's a difference."
SUCCESS OF "I Love Lucy" has opened the way for all kinds of other sidelines. Desi wears smoking jacket. Tailors want him to spearhead a campaign to revive the smoking jacket. Other clothing men spotted the narrow lapels on all his suits, and want him to endorse Desi Arnaz narrow lapels. (19)
Manufacturers want Miss Ball's clothing designs. There's a line of Lucille Ball blouses being readied. Now, of course they're talking maternity dresses, too. (20)
Another outfit is ready to put out Desi Arnaz bongo drums. (21) "Ethel" (Vivian Vance) wore an old-fashioned kitchen garment known as a swirl on one program. Now there's, a merchandising tie-up for "I Love Lucy" swirls. (22)
Even before word got around about Miss Ball's upcoming maternity, doll manufacturers were proposing deals. So there's going to be a red-headed Lucille Ball doll. (23)
Since one-third of the pro grams fans are figured to be small fry, the doll is expected to be a popular item. Morgan, a native of Devil’s Lake, N.D. looks after most of such details. And then there's talk of an "I Love Lucy" radio program. Miss Ball was on the air with "My Favorite Husband" a few seasons ago, but radio acting is a new experience for Desi.
THERE'S A POSSIBILITY the sound tracks of old TV programs may be used for a new radio program, with some narration to fill in what the audience can't see. (24)
So, with all the success, has come more and more yearning to get away from on week-ends.
The Amazes figure they see enough of each other during the week. So, although they're homebodies, they do quite a bit of getting away from each other on week-ends.
Miss Ball usually sticks to the ranch, a quiet, five-acre place lush with vegetation. The orange groves are there because they look nice. "You know, I've never eaten one of our oranges," said Miss Ball. "I tasted one once, and it was so sour I couldn't finish it. We get our oranges at the market."
They have a deal with the Sunkist people, who tend the crop, harvest it and keep the place in shape in exchange for the oranges.
Arnaz, who has a mania for fishing, spends all or part of every week-end on his 35-foot fishing boat. He doesn't shave when he's fishing. He was away on the boat when I visited the ranch.
MISS BALL was out back, in a cluttered yard she calls "the farmer's market," sitting in a wooden lawn chair. She looked tired. Her face, in the evening light and against her shocking-pink hair, looked paler than it probably was. Her mother, Mrs. Desiree Ball, was looking after Lucie, who was toddling around the edge of the swimming pool. Three frisky spaniels bounded up to meet me.
Miss Ball called them away sharply. "They stink," she said. While we talked, she watched nervously to see that they didn't knock the baby into the pool.
Presently Mrs. Ball said good-by, and headed for the house with Lucie. "Tell Ethel I want a demitasse!" Miss Ball called after her. "And tell her I want it to get rid of the garlic she put in the meat!" (25)
After she settled down with the coffee, she said: "There's one thing I really like about television. I don't have to worry about glamor any more. Well, my hair is still combed. But I don't have to worry if it isn't."
From her chair, she started conducting a visual tour of the place, pointing out behind her an overgrown shelter with lawn furniture Inside. ("It's some kind of a Cuban hut that Desi built. I think they call it a bohio.") She pointed, too, to a huge outdoor fireplace. ("Desi built that, too. But we found out it's too far from the house. We don't use It any more.")
Across the swimming pool she pointed out a strange lath structure, also built by Desi. "We never found out what he had in mind," she said. "We've never used it for anything."
We walked across the lawn to inspect one of Arnaz' more practical bits of carpentry: a place they call a bathhouse, which is really a huge cottage used for parties. It has a long rumpus room, finished in dark pine, with a film projection room at one end, and a behind-the-bar kitchen that's exclusively Desi's. It's fitted with a large, black, old-fashioned gas oven, another barbecue and outsize copper utensils.
Miss Ball peered suspiciously into a huge copper kettle on the stove. "Desi uses this for soup, she said. "He spent three years getting the recipe from Antoine's." (26)
When Arnaz cooks, he always makes a large mess. He never cleans it up.
"I enjoy spoiling my husband," said Miss Ball, "and he enjoys spoiling me. I don't expect him to clean up." She thought a moment. "I don't know what he doesn't expect of me."
She pointed out a mounted marlin of which he's proud, some built-in seats he designed and constructed, and then led the way to the house. It was dark outside now.
"Be careful," she said. “There are wires on these trees, and people are always falling down."
INSIDE THE HOUSE, in a long tile-floored room facing the yard, we came across a third barbecue.
“Desi isn't happy unless he has a barbecue at his fingertips," she said. Another thing the Amazes are well supplied with is TV sets. They have four, including the one in the bathhouse.
"We always watch our show," she said, "usually with friends. Monday is our canasta night. Sometime we're over at the Charlie Ruggleses, sometimes at the Dean Martins. (27) Wherever we are, we stop for a half hour to watch."
We took a fast walk through the house. "It won't take you long to see this place," said Miss Ball, leading the way through the long early-American living room, the bedroom, Desi's study, Desi's dressing room, and then down a long corridor, past an enclosed patio, to the nursery wing.
"Desi built this, too," she said. "We keep a carpenter here full time to help him. Since we started the show, Desi hasn't had any time for building, but we still keep the carpenter busy."
THE NURSERY - a three-room affair designed to accommodate two children - cost more than the house itself. The center room Is a gleaming-white, clinical-looking place Miss Ball calls "the laboratory."
It's loaded with sterilizing equipment, kitchen equipment and laundry equipment. The Amazes keep a nurse, as well as a maid-cook and the carpenter. Desi's mother and Mrs. Ball both live nearby, and look in frequently, so Lucie gets plenty of attention when her parents are at the studio.
Miss Ball has taken her to the studio for visits, but never takes her in for a day when she's working. Arnaz's band appears on one out of about every four "Lucy" programs. It's pretty much the same one he started with in Florida. He formed it after he broke away from Xavier Cugat in the '30s.
The band doesn't travel or make public appearances any more, but the musicians are as glad that Arnaz has settled down as he is. They have a family life now, too.
They work around Hollywood, playing at the movie and recording studios and at various clubs. And they're always on call when they're needed for "Lucy."
Miss Ball and Arnaz planned to come to the Aquatennlal on the way to New York for a series of magazine interviews. One of the things that had convinced them was a two-page wire from Arthur Godfrey singing the praises of Minnesota and of Cedric Adams, who would have been their host.
WHEN THEY found out about the baby, they still planned to come. Then Miss Ball's doctor ordered her not to. He ruled out the New York interviews, too. They went to Sun Valley instead, for a rest, but cut their visit short when they found themselves the center of attention from other guests. (28)
The act they planned to do here was one they had to dream up in order to prove to CBS that they could do "I Love Lucy." Before the program started, one of the big objections they got went like this: "Nobody will believe that Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz are husband and wife."
Arnaz had a simple answer: "We are." But nobody paid much attention to him.
The two made a theater tour with a Mr.-and-Mrs. routine, just to see if audiences would accept them that way. It clicked. That's what made CBS decide to go along with their first notions about TV.
# # #
FOOTNOTES FROM THE FUTURE
(1) The Minneapolis Aquatennial is an annual outdoor event held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during the third full week of July. Originating in 1940, the Minneapolis Aquatennial celebrates the city's famous lakes, rivers, and streams.
(2) Instead of September 8th, the second season of “I Love Lucy” began on September 15, 1952, not in October as was first considered. It kicked off with the now iconic “Job Switching” (aka Candy Factory episode), which had been filmed in late May 1952, before this article was published.
(3) Although season one of “I Love Lucy” had produced 35 episodes (the most of any “Lucy” sitcom), season two only clocked in with 31 new episodes. If their original goal was 39, they were 8 short.
(4) Before her Beverly Hills mansion, Lucy’s dream house was in the San Fernando Valley. Desilu Ranch, as it was called, was a ranch-style home on five acres at the intersection of Devonshire Street and Corbin Avenue in Chatsworth. The home was demolished in the mid-1970s to make way for subdivision development.
(5) Lucille Ball gave birth on January 19, 1953. Because it was a Caesarean birth, Ball had some leeway with the date. Naturally, she opted for a Monday so that her real son and her TV son could be born on the same day, making television history in the process.
(6) The five shows that were already ‘in the can’ for Fall 1952 were: "The Anniversary Present" (filmed May 9, 1952), “The Handcuffs” (filmed May 16, 1952), “The Operetta” (filmed May 23, 1952), “Job Switching” (filmed May 30, 1952), and “The Saxophone” (filmed June 6, 1952). Although “Job Switching” was filmed fourth of these five, everyone knew it was a knock-out hit, and it was aired as the season 2 premiere. This explains why the photos that accompany this article are glimpses from two as-of-then unaired episodes: “The Anniversary Present” and “The Operetta.”
(7) Desilu also came up with Flashback Intros (filmed without Lucille Ball) to introduce repeated episodes. Fred, Ethel, and Ricky would open the show with a “remember the time...” premise and then a repeat episode would be aired. These were not included in the syndication prints, but some have turned up as DVD extras.
(8) The ‘I Love Lucy’ baby doll was a big seller for Christmas 1952. The doll’s gender was deliberately kept vague until after the birth of Little Ricky in January 1953, after which a new infant doll branded “Little Ricky” was released. There was also a Little Ricky puppet baby doll.
(9) “There's A Brand New Baby (at Our House)” was first sung on “I Love Lucy” in “Sales Resistance” (ILL S2;E17), the first flashback episode after Lucy went into the hospital to have the baby. The lyricist Eddie Maxwell was the real-life husband of Eve Whitney from “The Charm School” (ILL S3;E15).
(10) After the above episode aired on July 26, 1953, announcer Johnny Jacobs promoted that the song (he calls “The Baby Song”) was available on Columbia Records (a division of CBS, naturally) with the “I Love Lucy” theme song on the flip side.
(11) Arthur Godfrey’s show “Talent Scouts” was “Lucy’s” lead-in on Monday nights. Godfrey himself promoted the show, asking viewers to ‘stay tuned.’ Red Skelton had a variety show on CBS, competing with NBC’s “Ed Sullivan” on Sunday nights. Milton Berle hosted “Texaco Star Theatre” on NBC, another variety program. If Monday nights belonged to Lucy, Tuesday nights were owned by Uncle Miltie. All three performers guest-starred on “Lucy” sitcoms. The above 1953 TV Guide cover makes it clear who is top of the TV totem pole. Red Skelton is not depicted.
(12) The Big Street was released in August 1942. If people were stopping Lucy on the street, it may have been to compliment her performance in what was her favorite film. They may have also been curious about performing in a wheelchair.
(13) Lucille filed for divorce from Desi twice. The first time was in September 1944, citing infidelity and incompatibility. Ball returned to him before the interlocutory decree became final, nullifying the divorce. The second divorce, in April 1960, stuck.
(14) “Our Miss Brooks” had been a big hit on radio starring Eve Arden and Gale Gordon, who would repeat their roles on television. Although not formally produced by Desilu, it was produced at the same studio and used many of the same actors (Gordon, Richard Crenna, Mary Jane Croft, Frank Nelson) that would appear on “I Love Lucy,” including, in one episode, Desi Arnaz. The show started one year after “Lucy” and ran one year shorter.
(15) General Service Studios was located at 1040 North Los Palmas Avenue, in Hollywood. It started life as a movie studio in 1919, and was variously known as American Zoetrope, Hollywood Center Studios, and now, Sunset Las Palmas Studios. Desilu outgrew the location in 1953, and moved to larger digs known then as Ren-Mar, now Red Studios.
(16) Not much is known about Lucille Ball’s painting pastime. We know that she signed her paintings ‘Balzac’.
(17) From January 13 to 18, 1952 heavy rains hit the Southern California area. On January 18 alone, 3.17” of rain fell in Los Angeles in a 24-hour period. The storm was responsible for eight deaths due to flooding in Los Angeles.
(18) The “I Love Lucy” Movie consisted of three episodes edited together: “The Benefit” (ILL S1;E13), “Breaking the Lease” (ILL S1;E18) and “The Ballet” (ILL S1;E19). New scenes were filmed to help connect the three episodes into one cohesive whole. Also, new wraparound segments were filmed. The opening segment shows the studio audience filing in for the filming. Desi Arnaz welcomes the audience and introduces the cast as he typically did before every filming. In the closing segment, Arnaz thanks the audience and Lucille Ball and the cast take their final bows. The film was given one preview before it was shelved. It may have been pressure from MGM, who had their own “Lucy” movie in the works, The Long, Long Trailer, or it may have been felt that the film diluted the television programs value. Either way, it was Lucy and Desi’s final call to shelve the project. It has since been released on DVD.
(19 & 20) Merchandising was a big part of selling “I Love Lucy” to the public. When actual items were not mass marketed, patterns for the items were available. Advance had the license for “I Love Lucy” patterns.
(21) The Desi Arnaz Conga Drum (not Bongo drum) was made in 1952 by A & A American Metal Toy Company of Brooklyn, New York. It was nineteen inches high. It is one of the rarest of the original “I Love Lucy” collectibles valued at $2,000 to $5,000!
(22) Swirl was a brand of house dress that often buttoned up the back, had pockets, and a tie belt. Vivian Vance wore several designs by Swirl on the show, including one of her famous arrow Swirls advertised in magazines and newspapers.
(23) Long before Mattel made their Lucy Barbie, there was a Lucy Ricardo rag doll. The doll had orange hair, blue eyes, bow lips, and an apron with heart-shaped pockets, just like Lucy. It was given away by their sponsor Philip Morris in 1953.
(24) On February 27, 1952, a sample the “I Love Lucy” radio show was produced, but it never aired. This was created by editing the soundtrack of the television episode “Breaking the Lease”, with added Arnaz narration (in character as Ricky Ricardo).
(25) It sounds as though, quite coincidentally, Lucille Ball’s Chatsworth cook / maid was named Ethel! Either that, or Ball is joking.
(26) Antoine’s Restaurant was also mentioned in Eleanor Harris’s 1954 book The Real Story of Lucille Ball.
(27) Charles Ruggles (1886-1970) was a character actor who appeared in over a hundred films. Like Lucille Ball, he made the transition to television with a series called “The Ruggles” (1949-52). He was married to Marion LaBarba. Dean Martin (1916-95) was a singer and comic actor. He appeared as himself on “The Lucy Show,” in one of Ball’s favorite episodes. From 1949 to 1973 he was married to Jeanne Biegger, who appeared as herself on the “I Love Lucy” episode “The Fashion Show.”
(28) Sun Valley, Idaho, was a favorite getaway location of the Arnaz family. It is a is a resort city where tourists enjoy ice skating, golfing, hiking, trail riding, cycling, tennis and (of course) skiing. The world’s first chair lift was erected in Sun Valley in 1936. Lucy and Desi set a 1958 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in Sun Valley, and even went on location to film.
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Little One
(Story Post)
“Are you excited?” “You can’t even begin to know how excited I am.” Fay was driving Rheni into APID to be present for Camilo’s ultrasound. The procedure wasn’t entirely necessary but the couple bugged Sydryn frequently enough about checking the baby’s position and letting Rheni see it before the imminent birth, and the dragon finally caved. Fay had already gotten in trouble for bringing Rheni to APID with them for Dari’s birth without the proper permissions, so this time they’d done everything by the book and so they couldn’t be late without suffering severe consequences. Fay hadn’t himself had a real chance to leave home since his twins’ birth so it was a relief to him as well, getting out and stretching his legs. Dusty stepped in to help Dari with the kids in his stead. He too liked the change for the day as without his boss around, he’d basically been everyone’s assistant in Fay’s department and he didn’t much like running around doing errands for people he didn’t really know. Plus, it was a chance for Grey to have a play date with Fay’s kids. “Can you believe it, Fay?” Rheni said. “Me? A dad?”
“Not to be smug, but I can,” Fay stated as he parked his car. APID's underground parking made it safe for Rheni to step out of the car without being seen. “The kids love you. In fact, just the other night when you had your phone date with Cami, Katia got upset that I was the one reading the bedtime story instead of you. I’ve practically been replaced.” “You haven’t, I swear… When you’re at work, all they cared about was making things to show you when you get home, whether a drawing or a dance or new signs they learned… Oh, I suck at ASL. I don’t think they get that not everyone knows it.” “They don’t get out much to meet people,” Fay explained. “That’ll change soon though, if I have anything to do with it. My children are not going to become recluses like Dari… Dari's not going to become a recluse like Dari.” Rheni frowned and watched Fay as he got out. “…Fay, don't you think you're putting a lot of expectations on Dari that he just might not be able to meet?” Fay's visage tensed and he turned to the slime man. “Why?” “Well, I mean, before the twins, I’ve basically been home alone all day with Dari and, you know, we talk and he just feels like all the changes you want him to go through aren’t realistic or even necessary,” Rheni explained. “And he feels like he’s made a lot of good progress already and why can’t that be enough?” “He has made good progress,” Fay said. “He’s a much more open and much more functional person than when I met him. And as he is might’ve been fine before. If we didn’t have kids, maybe he could’ve just stayed home all the time, be mostly self-sufficient, garden, and all that… But now we do have the kids. And a lot of them. And there are laws. And kids need to be in school. And on top of that, our children are merspawn, and merspawn have their own needs that need to be met, and I’ve been ignoring a lot of rules from my community to cater to Dari’s needs, but there will come a time where their needs are more important and he needs to bend as well.” “Oh, well, I mean… Yeah, I guess it’s more complicated,” Rheni said. “But why can’t he homeschool them?” “Homeschool… I can’t…” Fay’s frustration knotted his forehead. “If I even thought homeschool was a good idea, they would still need a good teacher. I managed to get Dari to finish his high school equivalency, but beyond that, I really don’t think he’s capable of running homeschooling for our children. He would need to prove that he can do it. And even if he could do it, I still don’t want them to be homeschooled. I don’t think it would be healthy to keep them away from other children. They need to learn to socialize with other people, not just their own family and family friends. I want them to be able to pursue anything they want to have or be in our society and they won’t be able to do that if the only people they ever talk to are us and the only lessons they ever learn is that they should only ever want to be home.” “Hmm, yeah… I mean, I get your point, but maybe you need to talk to Dari about it again, because he's not feeling great about it,” Rheni said. “I know…” Fay pointed to the exit. “Can we go inside though? This parking lot is not warm and I am a fish.” “Yeah! I was waiting for your lead, to be honest,” Rheni said. They headed inside and checked in through security. In the elevator, Fay sighed and leaned against the wall. “I've cut him off.” “Hm?” “No more children.” “Oh. Yeah, I know.” “On top of not wanting to have more children, and not feeling capable of having more in our life, I also believe that when’s he’s not busy being pregnant, Dari has more time to improve himself. And he can say he’s good enough as he is, but I also know he wants to improve because there’s things he wants to do that are just out of reach right now…” The elevator doors opened into the lobby for the medical ward. Camilo was already there talking to Köbi, but he looked over as they came out. He looked tired with a big crew neck pulled down tight around his overburdened middle, but he smiled when he saw his boyfriend run up to him. “Cam, hey! How are you?” Rheni asked, grabbing his boyfriend by the waist and kissing his cheek. “I had a rough night honestly, but I'm okay,” Camilo said. “How are you?” “Super excited. I want to see our kid,” Rheni said grinning. “It's all I've been thinking about since Syd confirmed we could.” Camilo nodded. “Yeah, you better thank them for making the time.” “I will!” At that, Sydryn came out and waved them in. “Good, you're both here. Let's go. Fay, are you joining us?” “Oh, no, just dropping off the slime. I want to check in on my replacement.” “Oh, thanks, Fay!” Rheni said waving. “I'll text you when it's over.” “Alright. Have fun, you two,” Fay said before going to call the elevator again. The couple followed Syd into the radiology room where the sonogram was set up. Since Camilo's classes had taken up a lot of his time, he hadn't visited Rheni in a while so the slime man couldn't keep his eyes off him. He found himself admiring even just the way Camilo carried himself over to the exam table. “Cam, please take this as a compliment, but you have such a cute pregnant waddle,” Rheni stated. Camilo immediately blushed. “Is it really that noticeable? I thought I was trying not to…” “You're 39 weeks pregnant,” Sydryn stated. “To attempt to change how you walk would likely only cause more strain on your body.” “39?!” Rheni exclaimed. “Are you seriously that far along?” “Yep… We're in the end game. This kid is classified full term and I am ready for this to be over,” Camilo said. “Okay, but like, I knew we were end game, but this is like…Portals are open, ‘I am Iron Man', end game. Like, it's that far in,” Rheni said, starting to feel sweaty, even though he couldn't sweat. “You could have the kid any day now, right?” “Technically, yes,” Sydryn said. “Though you have a March due date.” “Well, as long as it's not in the middle of an exam, I will welcome this kid any day,” Camilo said, climbing up on the table. He flipped up his shirt, exposing his belly. Marcita had worked her magic and he didn't have a single noticeable stretch mark because of her lotion concoction but his navel was a speckled button and his linea negra had darkened a bit. “You've gotten so big since I last saw you,” Rheni said going over to stand beside him. “Yep… Thankfully, I shouldn't get any bigger…” Camilo remarked. Sydryn repositioned the ultrasound's screen towards the couple and then prepped the wand with gel before placing it on Camilo's abdomen. “Ooh, this is it,” Rheni said excitedly, holding Camilo's arm. “Calm down, you're a little too worked up,” Camilo said, feeling Rheni's grip tighten. “Sorry, sorry… Oh! Is that the baby?” Syd's hand paused with the wand pushed in deep into As Camilo’s side. The screen beside them showed the profile of the baby, tucked into little ball. “Is she in the right position?” Camilo asked. “Yes, I could already tell from the shape of you, but the image can confirm it,” Sydryn explained. “I assumed since this will be the last ultrasound before you're due, you'd like pictures?” “Of course!” Rheni said, his eyes glued to the screen. “I can't believe that's really inside you, Cam.” “Right? Believe it.” Sydryn used the mouse connected to the monitor to highlight where they were going to take the picture. “Camilo, hold your breath for me.” Camilo did as told and the doctor took some pictures quickly. “That’s enough, thank you,” Sydryn said, letting the boy breathe. “Everything still looks good. The foetus is at the right stage of development for your pregnancy. I don't see signs for any congenital abnormalities or birth defects. Your fluids are the right level.” “Oh, that’s all good,” Rheni said. “But is that it?” “There's not much more to look at,” Sydryn stated, taking away the wand. “Camilo's healthy. The baby’s healthy. Prepare for the birth.” “Well, thank you for making time for us,” Camilo said, grabbing a tissue from beside the table to wipe his belly. “I'm sure you're really busy.” “I am. That's why we had to keep this short,” Sydryn stated. “Aoife told me you weren't feeling well a week or two ago, so I'm glad you're back on your feet,” Camilo said. “You are feeling better, right?” “Yes, for now. You have no need to worry for your own health,” Sydryn stated. “Now, as much as I'd love to keep talking, I do have other patients to see.” Camilo put his arm out for Rheni to grab and pull him up onto his feet. Rheni helped him willingly. “And the pictures?” “Köbi will print as many as you'd like at the front desk,” Sydryn said. “Or, actually… I'll make sure he knows how. I'm a little too used to Aoife's competence, I suppose…” “I think Köbi's doing a good job,” Camilo said. “You're too critical of him.” “Without Aoife and even Reid around, this medical ward is an absolute nightmare,” Sydryn stated, leading them out. “I don't have enough time or energy for it…” “What about the doctor who covered when you were sick?” “She's from another branch of APID abroad. She was only visiting. We're looking to hire more physicians but, well, it requires very high qualifications that few can meet.” “That's a flex,” Rheni chuckled. “We get it, you're irreplaceable.” “I am, but I wouldn't be replaced. We just need someone qualified enough that I can train. I was hoping I might groom Köbi for it, but he's turned out to be quite the upward battle…” When they got to reception again, Köbi was following a video on his computer on how to do corn rows. He smiled to them as they approached. “How was the ultrasound?” “It was really cool!” Rheni said. “Köbi, this is a sterile ward,” Sydryn reminded. “Put your hair up and wash your hands.” “Ah, es tuet mr leid… You’ll have to let me braid your hair later though.” Köbi paused his video and went to wash his hands at the sink in the back of the cage. “Anything I can help with?” “We'd like to get some pictures printed from the ultrasound,” Camilo said. “Oh, cool!” Köbi came back to the front. “Sounds good.” “Do you remember how to do that?” Sydryn asked. “Sure, um…” Sydryn sighed and let themselves into the cage to help. In the meantime, Camilo and Rheni took a seat in the waiting area. “Hey, we never followed up on your family stuff,” Camilo said. “Safe to say, you're waiting until after this kid is out?” “Yeah, but actually, you just reminded me! Um…” Rheni pulled out his phone. “I did some snooping. And now I'm on the same Overwatch team as Timothy Zhao.” “Timothy?” “My brother.” “Oh! What? How did you find him?” Camilo asked. “I said, I did some snooping,” Rheni said. “It didn't take too much though. These kids put pretty much everything on social media. Found Michael's Facebook, found his brother’s name, found Tim's Instagram, found his public invite to his Discord channel, joined his Overwatch team.” “So you're stalking a fifteen year old.” “He just turned sixteen, and no, I'm befriending him. He's my brother.” “Did you tell him?” “Not yet. I mean, it's not like he'd believe me.” “Yeah, so you're stalking him.” “Come on, I'm just trying to tell you about my brother.” “Okay, okay. Tell me.” “He's a good kid… I was worried I was gonna get one of those screechy yelly kids who are like a nightmare to play with, but he's really calm and smart.” Camilo sighed. “So… If Michael went missing six years ago, then Timothy would've been ten when he went missing. That would be so difficult to deal with at that age…” “Yeah… I think I need him to see me first…” Rheni said. “I feel like a smart kid like that's more likely to believe it's me than adults who are set in their ways, you know?” “I get it… But they all need to know you're alive. They all need that…” Camilo held his stomach. “Losing a child can't possibly be easy to come to terms with.” Sydryn came up to them with two long envelopes. “We printed several copies. Enjoy.” “Thanks, Syd,” Rheni said getting up and taking the envelopes. “It means a lot, really.” “Don't mention it,” Sydryn said. “So, I imagine you're going back home with Fay from here?” Camilo asked his boyfriend. Rheni nodded. “I figure we might be here a bit… Fay's not the best when it comes to the staying at home part of paternity leave.” “Well, um, I'm taking the afternoon to study a bit but I think I might be free to visit afterwards,” Camilo said. “Are you sure you want to travel that much in your condition?” Rheni asked. “I don't think it's much of a distance, but honestly, I welcome anything that'll start my labour,” Camilo said. “I'm very much done with this whole pregnancy thing…” “It's overrated, huh?” Rheni joked, rubbing Camilo's belly gently. “Completely. Yesterday's news. Passé.” Rheni chuckled and kissed Camilo's cheek. “I can't wait for our baby to be here.” “It's unbelievable to think that even as soon as tomorrow, we could be parents,” Camilo said. “But right now, I'm still a student and I gotta go study.” Rheni nodded. “Okay. I'll let you go for now.” He gave Camilo another kiss. “Call me later please.” “I will.”
#lore#Camilo#Rheni#Fay#Köbi#Sydryn#mpreg#Transman#trans preg#mpreg belly#slime man#dragon#merman#angel
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Maid in Manhattan
Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader
Warning: Violence
Word Count: 1,495
Prompts Used: #16 “I’ve had a rough day and honestly, all I want to do right now, is to cuddle with my best friend.” (Modified) / #39 “Lets never go more than a week without seeing each other.” / #55 “Touch her again. I dare you.” / # 137 “You’ll regret that princess.”
Prompt list
Peter Parker Masterlist
*If you haven’t figured it out already, I’m writing Peter Parker in his early twenties because first, I feel like there isn’t a lot of fanfics like that and second because I feel weird writing about an underage kid🥴
Sighing, you leaned against your apartment door. It was another long shift at the hotel. Lately, you had been feeling that your job was sucking the life out of you. Squeezing your eyes shut, you let your head fall back against the door with a soft thud as you let out a frustrated huff.
Groaning, you pushed off of the door heading to your room so you could change out of your work clothes. Just as you had sat down, there was a soft knock on the door.
Opening the door you felt ice course through your veins. “May?”
Smiling softly, she greeted. “Hello, Y/N.”
Stepping aside you let her walk in. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“No thank you. I won’t be long.” She responded softly, taking a seat on your couch.
May had been over to your apartment more times than you could count. Sometimes it was Peter business, the last few months May had been over for girls bonding time.
“I assume you know why I’m here.” She stated.
Letting out a shaky breath you questioned. “Is Peter hurt?”
“No nothing like that...This visit.” She frowned. “He...He misses you, Y/N.”
“May....” You attempted. “If he wanted to see me he would.”
“Normally I would agree with you.” She reasoned. “But this is Peter. He’s anything but normal.”
Pondering what she said you didn’t reply.
“He’s busy doing Spider-man things.” She countered. “He goes out and saves the city and passes out from exhaustion. Peter barely has time for anything else.”
The more you heard May argue for Peter, the more you knew she had a point.
Placing a hand on your knee, she gave it a light reassuring squeeze. “I have to get going, but please think about what I said.”
The next few nights you laid awake, staring at the ceiling as your mind pondered everything that May had said. Sleep was finally on the brink of overwhelming you, turning on your side you shut your eyes. The swift sound of your window opening and closing filled the room as a pair of strong arms wrapped around your waist.
“Peter what’re you doing here?” You questioned groggily.
“I’ve had a rough day and honestly, all I want to do right now, is to cuddle with my best friend.” Peter replied.
The smell of your cologne filled your nose, earning a soft hum from you. Wanting to face him, you turn around in his arms allowing you to be face to face with him.
“You know the agreement.” You muttered softly earning a low chuckle from the man before you.
“I do. That’s why I already have the shirts in my backpack.” He replied.
Giggling you smirked. “How do you know which ones I wanted?”
Scoffing her replied. “Because you always talk about how you’d steal them given the chance.”
Before you could respond, Peter nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck. His hot breath sending delicious shivers down your spine.
“Hey, Y/N?” He asked from your neck.
Peter earned a Hum in response.
“Lets never go more than a week without seeing each other.”
“I agree.” You whispered in his ear. Sleep overwhelmed the both of you.
The next morning you woke up to an empty bed. Feeling around the bed for Peter, you felt a paper instead. Picking it up, you read it.
‘I had to go. I’ll be over this evening. Dinner at 8? -Peter.’
Fluttering in your stomach erupted. He wasn’t anywhere near you, yet somehow he managed to make you feel giddy. Getting up, you got ready for work.
The hours at work somehow managed to pass by painfully slow, more so than normal. Your co-workers always wanted to know the details about Peter and the nature of your relationship. They went as far as having a bet placed on your relationship, thinking they had kept it a secret.
“What is everyone's plans tonight? I was thinking the new bar on the other side of town.” One of your co-workers said.
“Not Y/N.” Another chimed in. “She has a date.”
“It’s not a date!” You huffed. “We’re just hanging out...Like we normally do.”
There was a collective groan and huff.
“Whatever you say.”
“It’s true!” You exclaim, throwing your hands up in frustration.
“You should see the way he looks at her.” Another piped up. “That’s the look of someone who’s in love.”
“He is not!” You reasoned. “We’re just friends.”
“Honey, they’re always just friends.”
Walking arm in arm with one of your close friends and co-worker you were surprised to see Peter waiting for you outside of the hotel.
“You must be Peter!” A few of your co-workers gushed from behind you.
“Uh....I am.” He stated confused.
“Y/N’s said so much about you!” One of the girls spoke. “All good things I promise.”
“Come on ladies. Let’s leave the kids alone.” Your friend said, corralling the group. “We want to make it to the new bar before they close.” She sent a wink your way. The feeling of heat danced along your cheeks.
“I’m sorry about them.” You quickly commented, looking at your shoes.
Peter placed a finger under your chin lifting your gaze to his.
“Don’t worry it...It was cute.”
Before you could process it, Peter had his Spider-man suit on resting his hands on your hips.
“Do you trust me?” He questioned tilting his head slightly.
Not trusting your voice you hummed in response. Peter quickly lifted you up, causing you to wrap your legs around his waist locking your ankles behind his back. His swift motion caused a yelp to fall from your lips. Feeling a deep rumble between your thighs, you cling tightly onto him. The next thing you knew, you were swinging through the city with Peter. The whirling wide around the both of you caused the hair on the back of your neck to stand up, as your heart beat rapidly at the motions.
“Y/N?” Peter called from the kitchen. “Where is your...Never mind I found it.”
The sound of your giggles filled the air. Walking into the kitchen you were surprised to see him swiftly moving about the kitchen.
After dinner, Peter had insisted on watching Starwars. You had agreed but only if Peter would let you lay your head in his lap, while scratching your scalp.
As you were laying in his lap, you were more focused on the man above you rather than the movie.
“You’re facing the wrong way to watch the movie.” He chuckled not taking his eyes off of the movie.
You hummed in response. Carding one of your hands through his hair, you pulled him down lightly, placing a chaste kiss to his lips. Warmth began expanding in your chest. Peter pulled back slightly in shock.
“I...”
Peter didn’t let anymore words slip past your lips, as he placed his lips back on yours. Breaking the kiss you sat up, as Peter pulled you into his lap. As the kisses intensity built up, so did your movements. The sound of panting and moans filled the air.
Waking up this morning, Peter was gone again. Both of you were planning on having another intimate evening later in the day. Thankfully, you were only working half a day today. As soon as you stepped foot outside, hands grabbed you as a gag was placed in your mouth and your hands bounded inside a moving car. Thrashing around, you couldn’t scream nor attempt to get free.
There was a harsh sting in your cheek, causing you to groan in pain. Barely being conscious you could hear your kidnappers.
“Did you get the maid Spider man was seen with?”
There was a muffled reply.
“She better be!”
Another muffled reply.
“He’ll come either way. He can’t help it. It’s who he is.”
A tall built figure crouched down in front of you. Removing the gag from your mouth, he questioned you. “Don’t worry princess. We’re after your boyfriend not you.” A sly smirk made it’s way to his face.
Without thinking you spit at the man, causing him to become enraged. His fist suddenly met your face, the feeling of your lip busting open could be felt.
“You’ll regret that princess.” He growled.
Before he could harm you anymore Peter’s voice sounded from behind him. “Touch her again. I dare you.”
The man was quickly sent to the floor as Peter took care of him and his minions.
“Are you okay?” He frantically questioned.
You nodded your head.
“Let’s get you home.” He took your hand in his as he began leading you out. As the sun setting caught your eye, you pulled your hand from Peter’s.
“Y/N?” He questioned in confusion.
Standing on your tip toes, you wrapped your hands around the collar of his newly changed shirt pulling him flush against you. Gently, you placed your lips on his before pulling back.
“You’re my hero.” You whispered with a grin.
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On Aging While Female
I’ve always felt pretty strongly that it’s ok to get old, that old women are beautiful in a really valid and striking way, blah blah blah. I still feel this way, but I am also 39 now, and I have some, uh, insights that I did not have yet when I was spouting this shit in my 20s.
For the record I don’t feel old. At all. I don’t feel like I look old, either. I have a lot of enthusiasm and energy and my sex drive takes up a massive lot of my consciousness for having so much else going on. I still get mistaken for my daughters’ sister pretty regularly, still have my patients assume I’m 10 years younger than I am fairly often. I’ve got a wide sense of possibility and of having a lot of life ahead of me, and I’ve got some perspective on 39 not even BEING old anyway, even if I 100% looked and felt it. I know too many hot, dynamic, interesting women in their 40s. They make it look good. They’re inspiring. I hope to do the same.
But ALSO. I didn’t use to get it, that like, YEAH OK being 80 and looking 80? Fine. Wondrous even. I am all the way here for the Iris Apfel, the Baddie Winkle, the Burning Lotus. Screw plastic surgery etc etc. ....but what about the transition? What about the starting to shift? This is the weird part, the struggle I didn’t really contemplate, the in between phase of like, appearing middle aged??? It involves things like, just looking tired to people. Someone assuming you’ve been sick when you haven’t. People thinking you look grumpy in a picture because of new lines that don’t go away. Realizing particular things that used to go away after being awake for awhile (like eye puffiness), are all-the-time things now. For instance, I’ve always thought long white/gray hair was gorgeous. Fuck, it’s a trend now for younger people to dye their hair that way. What I didn’t grasp was that one of my favorite things about how I look, historically, is the contrast between my very dark hair and my much lighter skin, and that with all the white clustering right at the very front, I lose a lot of that contrast. It kinda washes me out, at least comparatively. And the white hair is like, wiry wild, and goes all over the place of it’s own accord, which sounds great except that I’m trying to be a professional at least some of the time, now - one who doesn’t wear makeup or go to a salon and who still bites my nails and will only wear flats. So the fuzzy white hairs framing my forehead are not helping anything.
And so I started thinking, man, it would give me some polished cred, and it would bring that deep contrast back, to do something about this. Which is how I ended up slathering dark purple overtone on the front of my hair every few weeks - which works great by the way, all my white hairs turn dark purple and my still-dark hairs (which is the vast majority of my hairs) aren’t effected. It blends together invisibly indoors, but then the dyed hairs shine purple in sunlight. This has been going on for about a year now. It’s a good bridge between my personal aesthetics and my “part of a company” role, as a solution. The indian grandmother down the street from my last house? STUNNING with her brown skin and white hair. Truly. She had a Noxzema commercial kinda glamour that always struck me as she worked in her yard. It’s a different kind of contrast and one I can imagine rocking decades from now. Again, though, that is like.... finished? It’s not the in between place, of having 1/6 (or whatever) of dark hair be white, having them loose and randomized throughout and each bending away from the rest at odd angles. My (younger, did I mention) boyfriend is super into salt and pepper hair, he acted a little disappointed (in an encouraging, “it’s your hair” way) when I started the purple thing, and that’s something I appreciate but also I ACTUALLY RECOILED against the term “salt and pepper” and had never applied it to myself before it came out of his supportive mouth? God love him? That’s a Nana and Pa term, way back in my memory. Did I mention that my 33 year old boyfriend (not THAT much younger) works with a bunch of 19-22 year old women (....)? I’m secure enough that I’m objective, I talk about who’s hot with him, I feel like they seem young - to both of us - much more often than I feel like I seem old.
But it still makes me think about all of this more often than I would otherwise, which even in a neutral way, can turn sigh-worthy. Like his coworkers don’t have anything to do with me, but if he worked with people our ages (or older coworkers, like I mostly do) I wouldn’t be pondering all this so often because it just wouldn’t come up. Most of my friends are either exactly my age or 5-10 years older than me. And then there’s the one who’s in her 70s ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Like the other day one of his coworkers told him about a local 35 and under kink group, and luckily he automatically feels like he’d feel predatory being part of some fetish scene where he’s 33 and a bunch of the women are 18-25. But I was still double-taking inside myself for a moment, like excuse me, there are local kink groups I am too old to be a part of? Excuse the fuck out of me?
Note: I do not want to participate in local kink groups anyway.
It’s weirdly difficult to be comfortable with The Middle Part. Personally. That I can still look just like I did 7-10 years ago, IF I’ve been eating all the right things, getting plenty of sleep, it’s late in the day, and I’ve had sex recently; BUT that nobody at my job has ever seen that version of my face, because what I look like when I have to get up early and show up to print something is real goddamned different. And not what I want to be like, stuck with all the time, soon? But it is what it is. And it isn’t TERRIBLE, it’s just, thought provoking enough that I’m making this post. While glops of purple overtone sit on my head. FYI this stuff is great, it smells like mint and is deep conditioning, I really recommend it. It’s expensive if you have to wash your hair often, but I only wash my curls every few days anyway - and I’m really only using the overtone on the front - so it works out fine for me.
It’s strange to try to OWN a transitional time, to try to identify as a stage that signifies certain losses, and tends to make most people feel like they’re trying to “hold on” to various things. I’m pretty good about taking one day at a time. Being where and how I am. But I’m also gonna be, like, real sad when my titties drop. It’s almost a source of stress that they’re still amazing, because, you know, one of these times that my weight fluctuates they’re not gonna bounce back the same way. I assume. I have known a lot of moms who accepted and even promoted the normality of saggy post-nursing boobs, and that’s cool, but mine never sagged, and I’m real spoiled about it. It’s been a tepid surprise, that I think I look waaaaaay older in my business casual clothing, than I do in my personal clothing. It makes me not ever want to be seen out in work clothes unless I’m working. And that’s partially about struggling with “professional identity,” in general, but still.
Anyway - thus concludes my pondering, for today. Feel free to weigh in with messages or submissions if you feel so moved.
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